Group including Nvidia, BlackRock buying Aligned Data Centers in deal worth about $40 billion
A group including BlackRock, Nvidia and Microsoft is acquiring Aligned Data Centers in a nearly $40 billion deal to expand next-generation cloud and AI infrastructure.
The acquisition comes amid a series of deals involving top AI developers who have poured resources and money into the burgeoning AI sector in recent months, addressing resources such as electricity and infrastructure needed to support the technology.
Last week it was revealed that the semiconductor manufacturer AMD It will supply its chips to the artificial intelligence company OpenAI As part of a teaming agreement to build AI infrastructure. OpenAI will also have the option to acquire up to a 10% stake in AMD, according to the joint statement announcing the deal.
Last month OpenAI and Nvidia announced a $100 billion partnership that will add at least 10 gigawatts of data center computing power.
Aligned’s portfolio includes 50 campuses and more than 5 gigawatts of operational and planned capacity, including assets under development, located mostly in the United States and Latin America. Some locations include Northern Virginia; Chicago; Dallas; Ohio; Phoenix; Salt Lake City; Sao Paulo, Brazil; Queretaro, Mexico; and Santiago, Chile.
Aligned, a privately held company, will continue to be led by CEO Andrew Schaap and will remain headquartered in Dallas.
One of the sellers, Macquarie Asset Management, first invested in Aligned in 2018. “Scaling Aligned Data Centers from two locations to 50 in seven years represents our approach to working with great companies and teams to support their rapid growth and create positive impact,” Macquarie Asset Management chairman Ben Way said in a statement.
The transaction is the first agreement of the investment consortium named Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure Partnership. The consortium’s initial goal is to mobilize and distribute $30 billion of equity capital, with the potential to reach $100 billion including debt.
“AIP is positioned to meet the growing demand for infrastructure required as AI continues to reshape the global economy,” BlackRock Chairman and CEO and AIP Chairman Larry Fink said in a statement. he said. “This partnership brings together leading companies and mobilizes private capital to accelerate AI innovation and increase global economic growth and productivity.”
The deal is expected to be completed in the first half of 2026.
Shares of Nvidia were up about 1% in morning trading.
