In a significant move poised to reshape the landscape of next-generation cloud and artificial intelligence infrastructure, a consortium comprising industry giants BlackRock, Nvidia, and Microsoft is set to acquire Aligned Data Centers in a deal valued at approximately $40 billion. This acquisition highlights a growing trend of substantial investments within the booming AI sector, where top AI developers are channeling considerable resources and capital to address the critical needs for electricity and infrastructure essential to support advanced AI technologies.

This major transaction follows a series of high-profile deals in recent months, underscoring the intense activity in the AI space. For instance, semiconductor manufacturer AMD recently announced an agreement to supply its chips to artificial intelligence company OpenAI, a partnership that also includes an option for OpenAI to acquire up to a 10% stake in AMD. Furthermore, OpenAI and Nvidia previously unveiled a monumental $100 billion partnership aimed at adding at least 10 gigawatts of data center computing power, illustrating the massive scale of infrastructure required for future AI advancements.

Aligned Data Centers, the target of this acquisition, boasts an extensive portfolio that includes 50 campuses and more than 5 gigawatts of operational and planned capacity, encompassing assets currently under development. These facilities are primarily located across the United States and Latin America, with key locations including northern Virginia, Chicago, Dallas, Ohio, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, as well as Sao Paulo (Brazil), Queretaro (Mexico), and Santiago (Chile).

Aligned, which is a privately held company, will maintain its leadership under CEO Andrew Schaap and retain its headquarters in Dallas. Macquarie Asset Management, one of the sellers in the deal, initially invested in Aligned in 2018. Ben Way, head of Macquarie Asset Management, lauded the company's growth, noting its expansion from just two locations to 50 over seven years, which he attributed to supporting rapid growth and delivering positive impact.

The acquiring consortium, officially named the Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure Partnership (AIP), marks this transaction as its inaugural deal. The AIP has an ambitious initial target of mobilizing and deploying $30 billion of equity capital, with the potential to reach $100 billion when including debt. Larry Fink, Chairman and CEO of BlackRock and Chairman of AIP, emphasized that the partnership is strategically positioned to meet the escalating demand for infrastructure as AI continues its profound influence on the global economy. He stated that the collaboration aims to bring together leading companies and mobilize private capital to accelerate AI innovation and drive global economic growth and productivity.

The acquisition of Aligned Data Centers is anticipated to conclude in the first half of 2026. Following the announcement, shares of Nvidia saw a modest increase of approximately 1% in morning trading, reflecting investor confidence in the future of AI infrastructure.