Summary:
In a landmark $40 billion deal, a consortium led by BlackRock, Microsoft, and Nvidia has acquired Aligned Data Centres from Macquarie Asset Management, marking a major step in the global race to build AI-ready infrastructure. The acquisition, expected to close in H1 2026, underscores the surging demand for high-performance data centres capable of supporting next-generation artificial intelligence (AI) workloads across the U.S. and Latin America.
Deal Overview
- Acquirer: Investor consortium led by BlackRock, Microsoft, and Nvidia.
- Target: Aligned Data Centres, headquartered in Dallas, Texas.
- Deal Value: $40 billion.
- Seller: Macquarie Asset Management.
- Expected Close: First half of 2026.
- Consortium Members: Abu Dhabi-based MGX, Elon Musk’s xAI, Kuwait Investment Authority, Singapore’s Temasek.
Aligned Data Centres currently operates over 5 gigawatts of current and planned capacity across 50 campuses in the U.S. and Latin America. CEO Andrew Schaap will continue leading the company post-acquisition.
Strategic Significance
The acquisition is a strategic move to secure critical AI computing infrastructure amid soaring demand for AI workloads:
- Ensures scalable, high-performance data centre capacity for AI developers.
- Supports enterprise and hyperscale AI computing needs for firms like Nutanix and Datto.
- Positions the consortium at the forefront of global AI infrastructure development.
Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock, stated, “With this investment in Aligned Data Centres, we further our goal of delivering the infrastructure necessary to power the future of AI.”
Rising AI Infrastructure Demand
Global AI investment is experiencing unprecedented growth:
- Morgan Stanley estimates that Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, and CoreWeave will collectively spend $400 billion on AI infrastructure in 2025.
- OpenAI has secured multibillion-dollar chip supply deals with Nvidia, AMD, and Broadcom, totaling over $1 trillion in computing capacity.
- Aligned Data Centres previously raised $12 billion in 2025, one of the largest private fundings for a data centre operator.
The acquisition positions the consortium to deploy $30 billion in equity capital, expandable to $100 billion including debt, reinforcing investor confidence in AI infrastructure.
Market Impact
The deal highlights:
- The strategic importance of AI-ready data centres in enabling next-generation machine learning and generative AI applications.
- Growing investor focus on high-capacity, reliable, and scalable computing infrastructure.
- Increased consolidation in the data centre space to support rapid AI adoption globally.
With AI applications driving demand for compute-intensive environments, the consortium’s acquisition of Aligned Data Centres is likely to reshape the global AI infrastructure landscape and set a benchmark for future mega-deals.
Disclaimer:
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