AI Boom Trumps Sleep, Says Boss of Data Center Operator NEXTDC

Pipes carry cold water near cooling towers at a NextDC data center in Sydney. CEO Craig Scroggie told a conference in the Sydney on Thursday that it was time to “hit the gas” amid the company’s fundraising tear. Photographer: Brent Lewin/Bloomberg

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May 7, 2026 at 3:57 AM UTC

Short on sleep but flush with new funds, the head of Australian data center operator NEXTDC Ltd. has a message to investors: You snooze, you lose.

NEXTDC Chief Executive Officer Craig Scroggie on Thursday told a packed Macquarie Australia Conference in Sydney that he’d slept for only three hours the previous night while NEXTDC goes on a fundraising tear. Since Tuesday, the company has secured A$3.5 billion ($2.5 billion) in extra money, roughly split between debt commitments from banks and a sale of hybrid securities.