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cloud computing

CyrusOne’s 2017 GDS Investment: What the Deal Sought to Achieve

CyrusOne’s October 2017 $100 million investment in GDS came with a plan to cross-sell data center services between U.S. and Chinese customers. The stake was later monetized in 2020.

By TheFinanceBase Team 2 min read
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CyrusOne announced a $100 million investment in GDS Holdings on October 18, 2017, for an approximately 8% stake, alongside a commercial partnership to market data center space and related services in the United States and China. The companies said the arrangement would connect their customer bases, including GDS’s Chinese cloud and internet customers, with CyrusOne’s U.S. network. It was a stated strategic rationale, not proof that cross-selling succeeded; CyrusOne later said it monetized its remaining GDS shares in 2020.

What stake did CyrusOne buy in GDS?

GDS said CyrusOne would invest $100 million through newly issued ordinary shares equivalent to 8.0 million American depositary shares (ADSs), at $12.45 per ADS. GDS reported that one ADS represented eight ordinary shares and that CyrusOne would own approximately 8% of its issued share capital after the investment. The deal was announced on October 18, 2017.

GDS said it would use the proceeds to support development projects in key markets and add capacity to meet demand. That described the intended use of the capital, not a report on how the proceeds were ultimately spent. GDS’s announcement set out the investment terms and stated purpose.

Why did CyrusOne invest in GDS?

The equity investment came with a commercial agreement: the companies said they would market and sell data center space and related services in both the United States and China. They also planned to exchange practices in sales and marketing, data center design and construction, supply chain management, customer relationship management, and operations. CyrusOne’s October 2017 announcement described the partnership’s strategic rationale.

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The intended commercial logic was to connect customers with data center needs across the two markets. GDS could pursue sales to CyrusOne customers with operations in China, while CyrusOne could seek to serve GDS customers operating or expanding in the United States. GDS chairman and CEO William Huang said the partnership would help GDS access CyrusOne’s customer base and enhance sales to its U.S.-based customers with China-related operations or expansion plans.

Which Chinese cloud companies were part of GDS’s customer base?

CyrusOne named Alibaba Group, Tencent, and Baidu among GDS’s customers in its 2017 announcement. It also said GDS had more than 450 customers at that time.

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CyrusOne reported that internet companies and cloud service providers accounted for approximately 75% of GDS’s contracted space, and a similar proportion of expected new demand in China. These are figures attributed to CyrusOne in 2017; they are not independently verified here and should not be read as current market statistics.

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What is known about the investment’s later status?

CyrusOne’s later proxy statement recounts the 2017 investment as part of the company’s expansion into China and says CyrusOne monetized its remaining GDS shares in 2020. That makes the stake historical, not a current holding. The statement does not establish the price or timing of each disposal, the investment’s overall return, or the eventual commercial results of the cross-selling agreement. CyrusOne’s proxy statement records the later monetization milestone.

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