Global Switch Revenue, Valuation, Funding & Investors

Global Switch is valued at $7.6B as of July 2018, a 14.4x revenue multiple. Global Switch revenue was $491M and Global Switch EBITDA was $338M, as disclosed with its September 2019 round.

Last Global Switch valuation

$7.6B

Secondary · Jul 2018

Global Switch revenue

$491M

Secondary · Sep 2019

Key investors in Global Switch

Global Switch Overview

About Global Switch

Global Switch is a London-headquartered owner, operator and developer of large-scale, carrier- and cloud-neutral data centres in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region. It leases space, power and connectivity in multi-tenant facilities to telecommunications carriers, cloud and internet providers, financial institutions and other enterprises, earning revenue from long-term colocation contracts. In 2019 it had 12 data centres with four more under construction, and for 2018 it reported revenue of £398.9 million and EBITDA of £274.7 million. The company was founded in 1998; the Reuben Brothers' Aldersgate Investments took full control in 2007 and turned the loss-making business around. Aldersgate sold a 49% stake to the Elegant Jubilee consortium, led by Jiangsu Shagang Group, for £2.4 billion in 2016, a 24.99% stake to Strategic IDC for £2.1 billion in 2018 and its final 24.01% to Shagang for £1.8 billion in 2019, leaving the business entirely under Chinese ownership. In October 2024 Global Switch agreed to sell Global Switch Australia, two adjoining 26MW data centre sites in the Sydney CBD, to HMC Capital for A$2.12 billion.


Founded

1998

HQ

United KingdomLondon

Status

Privately held

Customer focus

B2B

Revenue model

Subscription

Revenue

$491M (Sep 2019)

Valuation

$7.6B (Jul 2018)

Global Switch Valuation

Global Switch is currently valued at $7.6B, based on its secondary sale in July 2018. Read the announcement ↗

The $2.8B round included Shagang Group, AVIC Trust and China CITIC Bank.

Global Switch's valuation has grown 1.1x from $7B at its secondary sale in December 2016 to $7.6B in July 2018, across 2 priced rounds.

Global Switch valuation by funding round

Revenue multiple
Global Switch valuation by funding round
DateStageValuationRevenue Multiple
Jul 2018Secondary$7.6B14.4x
Dec 2016Secondary$7B14.4x

Global Switch Revenue

Global Switch's latest recorded revenue is $491M, as of its secondary sale in September 2019.

Revenue moved from $491M in December 2016 to $491M in September 2019.

Global Switch revenue by funding round

Global Switch revenue and valuation multiple by funding round
DateRevenue *ValuationRevenue MultipleStage
Sep 2019$491M--Secondary
Jul 2018$531M$7.6B14.4xSecondary
Dec 2016$491M$7B14.4xSecondary

* Revenue (or ARR) figures are the values recorded alongside each funding round. Typically run-rate revenue at the time of the deal, or a reported LTM (last 12 months) revenue.

Global Switch Funding History

Global Switch has 3 recorded secondary share sales and no primary funding rounds.

Global Switch funding rounds

Global Switch funding rounds
DateStageInvestorsRaisedValuationDeal Summary
Sep 2019SecondaryShagang Group (lead)$2.2B-Jiangsu Shagang Group acquired a 24.01% stake in Global Switch Holdings from Aldersgate Investments, the Reuben Brothers' holding company, in a transaction valued at £1.8 billion ($2.2 billion), reported in early September 2019. The purchase was made through an indirect wholly owned investment vehicle and raised Shagang's equity interest in Global Switch to 49.9% on a look-through basis, making it the largest shareholder. With the sale Aldersgate fully exited the business it had controlled since 2007, completing a disposal process that began with the sale of a 49% stake to the Elegant Jubilee consortium for £2.4 billion in 2016 and continued with the sale of 24.99% to Strategic IDC for £2.1 billion in 2018; press reports put the Reubens' total proceeds at about £6.3 billion. Simon Reuben and Alexander Bushaev resigned from the board, and Global Switch passed entirely into Chinese ownership. Global Switch owns, operates and develops large-scale, carrier- and cloud-neutral data centres in Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, and at the time had 12 data centres with four more under construction. For 2018, the last full year before the transaction, it reported revenue of £398.9 million and EBITDA of £274.7 million.
Jul 2018SecondaryShagang Group; AVIC Trust; China CITIC Bank$2.8B$7.6BGlobal Switch is a data centre developer operating facilities across Europe and Asia Pacific, with around 340,000 square metres of space as of mid-2018. In March-July 2018, a consortium of Chinese investors including AVIC Trust, China CITIC Bank affiliates, Haoyue Capital, and Jiangsu Shagang Group, through Strategic IDC Limited, acquired a 24.99% stake from Aldersgate Investments Limited for £2.1 billion ($2.8 billion). This transaction valued the stake at £2.1 billion, implying a full enterprise value around £8.4 billion, and increased mainland-backed ownership to over 75%. The deal followed a 2016 acquisition where Elegant Jubilee Ltd, backed by AVIC Trust and Shagang Group, purchased 49% for £2.4 billion, with Global Switch chairman Li Qiang increasing his stake. Post-2018 transaction, ownership comprised Elegant Jubilee (51%), Strategic IDC (24.99%), and Aldersgate (24.01%, later fully sold to Shagang in 2019 for £1.8 billion). The company reported revenue of £398.9 million and EBITDA of £274.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2018, up 5.6% and 2.6% from 2017, with investment properties valued at £5,952.2 million. Global Switch emphasized continued growth and a potential public listing in 2019 on a major exchange in Europe, Asia, or the US, supported by strong operational metrics including £213.0 million cash from operations and net assets of £3,752.4 million at year-end 2018.
Dec 2016SecondaryShagang Group (lead); Ping An; Essence Securities; AVIC Trust$3B$7BGlobal Switch is a leading owner, operator, and developer of large-scale, network-dense, carrier- and cloud-neutral data centers in Europe and Asia-Pacific, with ten data centers across seven markets and 3.24 million square feet of gross space as of 2016. In December 2016, a consortium led by Shagang Group through Elegant Jubilee Limited acquired a 49-51% equity stake from Aldersgate Investments (Reuben Brothers) for approximately £2.4-2.7 billion, implying an equity valuation of around £5.3 billion. This transaction marked the first major Chinese investment in the company, supporting expansion into markets like China. For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2016, Global Switch reported revenue of £368.8 million and EBITDA of £254.3 million, achieving a 69.0% EBITDA margin. The company's data centers and land interests had a CBRE property valuation of £4.9 billion. Utility power supply to data centers totaled 291 MVA. Shagang Group increased its stake progressively, acquiring additional interests in July 2018 (24.99% for $2.4 billion) and directly 24.01% in 2019 for £1.8 billion ($2.2 billion), becoming the largest shareholder at 49.9% on a look-through basis by 2019.

Who has invested in Global Switch?

5 investors have backed Global Switch across its funding rounds, including Shagang Group, AVIC Trust, Ping An, Essence Securities and China CITIC Bank.

Lead investors include Shagang Group.


Global Switch Investors

Investors in Global Switch by funding rounds participated
InvestorHQRoundsRoleFirst check
Shagang GroupChinaZhangjiagang3LeadDec 2016
AVIC TrustChinaChina2ParticipantDec 2016
Ping AnChinaShenzhen1ParticipantDec 2016

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Global Switch Competitors

Global Switch competitors include listed companies like INWIT, Oracle Corp Japan and Wangsu, and private ones like Bersama Digital Infrastructure, Lambda and Lancium Technologies.

Public and private companies comparable to Global Switch
CompanyHQStatusRevenueEBITDAValuationRevenue Multiple
INWITItalyItalyPublicly listed$1.2B$1.1B$7.4B11.2x
Oracle Corp JapanJapanJapanPublicly listed$1.8B$581M$8.1B4.2x
Bersama Digital InfrastructureSingaporeSingaporePrivate-$403M$6.5B-
LambdaUnited StatesSan Jose, CAPrivate$520M-$6B11.5x
Lancium TechnologiesUnited StatesHouston, TXPrivate--$10B-
WangsuChinaChinaPublicly listed$701M$139M$5.8B5.7x

Global Switch Public Comps

Global Switch is still privately-owned, but its public comps include INWIT, Oracle Corp Japan, Wangsu, Lumen, Applied Digital, Insight Enterprises, GDS Holdings, Core Scientific, D-Wave Quantum and IEIT Systems.

Last FYEV/RevenueEV/EBITDA
RevenueEBITDALast FYLTM2027ELast FYLTM2027E
INWIT$1.2B$1.1B11.2x11.2x12.5x12.4x
Oracle Corp Japan$1.8B$581M4.3x4.2x13.5x13.0x
Wangsu$701M$139M6.3x5.7x31.7x28.4x
Lumen$12B$1.2B1.3x1.5x13.4x5.5x
Applied Digital$611M($85M)18.2x14.6x(131.4x)53.6x
Insight Enterprises$8.2B$417M0.8x0.7x15.5x10.4x
GDS Holdings$1.7B$890M5.7x5.3x11.1x11.3x
Core Scientific$319M($211M)21.3x10.9x(32.1x)36.9x

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Common questions about Global Switch

When was Global Switch founded?Global Switch was founded in 1998.
Where is Global Switch headquartered?Global Switch is headquartered in London, United Kingdom.
Is Global Switch publicly listed?No, Global Switch is a private, VC-backed company.
What is Global Switch's valuation?Global Switch was last valued at $7.6B in its secondary sale in July 2018.
Who are Global Switch's investors?Global Switch's investors include Shagang Group, AVIC Trust, Ping An, Essence Securities and China CITIC Bank.
What is Global Switch's revenue?Global Switch's latest recorded revenue is $491M (September 2019).
Which companies are comparable to Global Switch?Companies comparable to Global Switch include INWIT, Oracle Corp Japan, Bersama Digital Infrastructure, Lambda, Lancium Technologies and Wangsu.

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