Nvidia-backed AI data centre firm scraps landmark listing over market fears

Artificial intelligence (AI) data centre company Firmus has scrapped its plans for what would have been one of Australia's biggest-ever stock market listings.

The Nvidia-backed firm said it had made the decision due to "recent market volatility and prevailing market conditions" and that going public would not be in the company or shareholders' best interests.

Firmus had initially announced plans for a stock market debut that valued the company at more than $30bn (£22.65bn).

One investment firm told the BBC that it had decided not take part in the initial public offering (IPO) over concerns about its valuation.

"Firmus will now pursue capital from the private markets and consider alternative public and private market options. We will provide additional information to shareholders as those options progress," the company said.

Firmus builds and operates liquid-cooled data centres, or what it calls "AI factories", for clients including OpenAI and Meta.

It has operations in Australia, Singapore and other parts of the Asia-Pacific region.

The company's backers include Nvidia and major investment firms Blackstone and Jane Street.

The decision by Firmus to scrap its stock market listing comes as investors and industry analysts have raised concerns about the hundreds of billions of dollars being poured into AI as the prospects for long-term returns remain unclear.

UniSuper, one of Australia's biggest pension funds, was among the institutional investors that decided not take part in the IPO.

"We think that Firmus indeed has a compelling story. It just doesn't have a compelling valuation," UniSuper's chief investment officer John Pearce said in an update to investors.

He also said UniSuper was concerned that Firmus would have to go further into debt to fund its growth plans.

"It's disappointing. The [Australian Securities Exchange] needs new stories and this could have been one if it was correctly priced," Pearce told the BBC.

In September, OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman said his company did not aim to list on the stock market this year, citing concerns over the technology's safety that make it "an ill-advised moment" to go public.