Major AI Infrastructure Investment
A consortium including BlackRock, Nvidia, xAI and Microsoft will acquire Aligned Data Centers in a deal worth $40 billion, according to reports from Reuters. The transaction underscores the intensifying competition to expand the costly, supply-constrained infrastructure required to power artificial intelligence technology.
Consortium Structure and Goals
The investment group, dubbed the Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure Partnership (AIP), has an initial target of deploying $30 billion of equity capital, with the potential of reaching $100 billion including debt, the report states. This represents AIP’s first investment since formation, with the transaction expected to close in the first half of 2026.
“With this investment in Aligned Data Centers, we further our goal of delivering the infrastructure necessary to power the future of AI,” said Larry Fink, CEO of BlackRock and chairman of AIP, according to the announcement. The consortium‘s anchor investors also include the Kuwait Investment Authority and Singapore’s state-owned investor Temasek, sources indicate.
Data Center Portfolio and Operations
Aligned designs, builds and operates data centers for hyperscalers, neocloud and enterprise clients. Its portfolio includes 50 campuses and more than 5 gigawatts of operational and planned capacity, including assets under development located across the United States and Latin America. According to the companies, Aligned will remain headquartered in Dallas, Texas, and will continue to be led by CEO Andrew Schaap.
Broader AI Infrastructure Competition
Analysts suggest this acquisition follows a series of mega-deals focused on securing coveted compute capacity as the AI boom continues. ChatGPT creator OpenAI has reportedly unveiled agreements totaling approximately 26 gigawatts of computing capacity in recent weeks, enough to power roughly 20 million U.S. homes.
OpenAI last week also announced a 6-gigawatt AI chip supply deal with AMD that includes an option to buy a stake in the chipmaker, according to separate reports. This came days after disclosures that Nvidia plans to invest up to $100 billion in the startup and provide it with data center systems with at least 10 gigawatts of capacity.
Industry Implications
The massive investment reportedly reflects growing recognition that AI development requires unprecedented computing resources. As companies race to build increasingly sophisticated AI models, the infrastructure supporting these systems has become a critical bottleneck, according to industry analysts. This deal represents one of the largest single investments specifically targeting AI infrastructure needs.
Source: Reuters Content Solutions
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