Demand for digital infrastructure is accelerating across emerging markets, spurred on by cloud adoption, digitization, data growth and to an extent Artificial Intelligence adoption. In a recent conversation at PTC'25, Obinna Isiadinso, data center global sector lead at the International Finance Corporation (IFC), shared insights into the organization’s investment strategy, market selection criteria, and recent financing deals shaping the sector.
IFC is the private sector arm of the World Bank Group. It invests in digital infrastructure projects globally, but of course, it has to prioritize where it deploys its development capital.
Isiadinso revealed the IFC identified 15 priority markets based on factors such as cloud adoption, infrastructure quality, and regulatory conditions.
Brazil, South Africa, India and Malaysia stand out as high-potential regions.
Brazil, for example, is poised for rapid expansion, with data center capacity expected to double from 250MW to 500MW in the near term and is poised to boom even further as it is supported by abundant renewable energy sources and growing AI infrastructure.
Malaysia also represents a major opportunity, exemplified by IFC’s recent US$150 million financing deal with Yonder Group—their first pre-contract to project finance transition in the data center sector.
With Malaysia’s data center capacity expected to scale from 250MW to 1GW, the investment underscores the country’s role as a rising digital hub in Asia.
Beyond market potential, Isiadinso emphasized the IFC’s rigorous approach to evaluating data center operators.
Key considerations include strategic alignment, operational reliability, execution capability, and adherence to high-performance standards.
Want to know what it takes to secure IFC funding? Watch the full interview!
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