Zankore secures $3.1B GPU financing for Southeast Asia AI factory
In brief
- Zankore secured $3.1B senior term loan for GPU infrastructure across Southeast Asia
- Deal announced September 9 marks largest AI infrastructure financing in APAC history
- Combined with Ooredoo's $800M equity, Zankore has nearly $4B committed capital
- Platform targets 200 MW AI compute capacity by mid-2027, scaling to 1 GW within three years
Financing structure and syndication
Citi served as the exclusive debt adviser on the transaction. The lending consortium includes ING, Natixis CIB, Qatar National Bank, and UOB as mandated lead arrangers, underscoring strong institutional confidence in Southeast Asia's AI infrastructure buildout.
Zankore's capital stack is now substantial. Ooredoo Group committed roughly $800 million for a 49% stake during the platform's launch in August 2026. Combined with the new debt facility, Zankore now has nearly $4 billion in committed capital.
Infrastructure rollout and regional impact
The immediate plan is aggressive. Zankore plans to deploy an initial 100 MW of NVIDIA AI infrastructure, with plans to deliver approximately 200 MW of AI compute capacity in the first half of 2027. Longer term, the platform has a broader ambition to reach 1 GW of NVIDIA DSX AI Factory capacity within three years.
Zankore's service model centers on GPU-as-a-Service for enterprises and startups across the region. The platform also plans to support development of region-specific systems like Sahabat-AI, a large language model tailored for Southeast Asian languages and contexts.
Zankore launched in August 2026, backed by Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, Ooredoo Group, NVIDIA, and Nokia. The financing validates investor appetite for AI compute infrastructure in a region where demand from enterprises and startups is accelerating.
