AI Consortium Closes $40B Data Center Buy
The buyers have already laid out a new $5 billion investment plan.
The Artificial Infrastructure Partnership, Abu Dhabi-based MGX and BlackRock’s Global Infrastructure Partners have wrapped up the $40 billion acquisition of Macquarie Asset Management’s Aligned Data Centers, previously announced last year. Additionally, the consortium earmarked an additional $5 billion for Aligned’s future expansion.
The company’s portfolio spans 51 properties throughout gateway markets such as Northern Virginia, Chicago, Dallas, Ohio, Phoenix and Salt Lake City. Additionally, Aligned’s international data center expansion reached as far as São Paulo, Querétaro, Mexico and Santiago, Chile. The firm provides 5 gigawatts of contracted and available capacity fueled by 100 percent renewable energy in America.
The firm’s headquarters will remain in Dallas and its existing leadership, including CEO Andrew Schaap, will retain current responsibilities.
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AIP launched in 2024 and now includes tech giants such as Nvidia, xAI and Microsoft. The partnership operates with an initial $30 billion capital deployment target, supporting up to $100 billion through additional debt. The acquisition of Aligned marked the consortium’s first-ever investment.
AIP isn’t the only partnership forged by NVIDIA, the first company to ever reach a $5 trillion valuation. The firm also teamed up with the Kuwait Investment Authority and Vistra to form Helix Digital Infrastructure. The new company has more than $10 billion in dry powder for long-duration commitments, with investments planned for hyperscale data center development and operations.
Aligned’s capital partners throughout the years
Prior to the sale, several other companies held various degrees of equity stakes in Aligned. One of them was CenterSquare, which invested in the firm in 2024. One year later, Aligned ramped up the funding with a capital raising round that amassed more than $5 billion in equity. That same funding round drew in an additional $7 billion in debt for the company.
Speaking of debt, which was included in the current sale, Aligned also closed a credit facility at nearly $2.6 billion earlier this year, supported by various pension funds, insurance companies and institutional investors. Blackstone was also involved, with a debt facility that the private equity giant increased to more than $1 billion last year.
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