A BlackRock-led consortium known as the Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure Partnership (AIP) said Wednesday it would acquire 100% of the equity in Aligned Data Centers from private infrastructure funds managed by Macquarie Asset Management and its co-invest partners. Intended to fuel the expansion of next-generation cloud and AI infrastructure, the acquisition implies an Aligned enterprise value of approximately $40 billion.
“AIP is positioned to meet the growing demand for the infrastructure required as AI continues to reshape the global economy,” said Larry Fink, chairman and CEO of BlackRock and chairman of AIP. “This partnership is bringing together leading companies and mobilizing private capital to accelerate AI innovation and drive global economic growth and productivity. With this investment in Aligned Data Centers, we further our goal of delivering the infrastructure necessary to power the future of AI, while offering our clients attractive opportunities to participate in its growth.”
Headquartered in Plano, TX, Aligned has a portfolio of 50 campuses and more than five gigawatts of operational and planned capacity, including assets under development. The campuses are located primarily in key Tier I digital gateway regions across the U.S. and Latin America, including Northern Virginia, Chicago, Dallas, Ohio, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Sao Paulo, Queretaro, and Santiago.
AIP was founded by BlackRock; Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), a part of BlackRock; MGX; Microsoft; and NVIDIA to expand capacity of AI infrastructure and help shape the future of AI-driven economic growth. Its financial anchor investors include the Kuwait Investment Authority and Temasek.
The transaction is AIP’s first investment. The consortium has set an initial target of mobilizing and deploying $30 billion of equity capital, with the potential of reaching $100 billion including debt. The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2026.
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