BlackRock, NVIDIA, xAI, and Microsoft form a consortium to acquire data center giant Aligned for $40 billion.

BlackRock-led artificial intelligence infrastructure investment alliance has concluded one of the largest transactions in the data center industry. On Wednesday local time, the Artificial Intelligence Partnership (AIP)—a fund jointly established by BlackRock, NVIDIA, and Microsoft—announced that the consortium had reached a $40 billion deal to acquire Aligned, a leading data center company owned by Macquarie Asset Management. This ranks among the largest data center transactions ever recorded. The parties stated that the transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2026, subject to regulatory approvals. The buyer consortium includes BlackRock, AIP, and Abu Dhabi’s fund MGX, as well as NVIDIA, Microsoft, and xAI. AIP’s debut move sets an industry record for transaction size. Aligned, headquartered in Dallas, provides infrastructure services to cloud computing and AI companies. The company currently operates or is developing approximately 50 campuses across the Americas, with a total operational and planned capacity of about 5 gigawatts. AIP plans to rapidly expand Aligned’s scale over the coming years, more than doubling the number of its core campuses. This $40 billion transaction ranks among the largest in the history of data center mergers and acquisitions, reflecting robust market demand for AI infrastructure assets. AIP stands for Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure Partnership—a collaboration founded by BlackRock, Global Infrastructure Partners, Abu Dhabi’s MGX, Microsoft, and NVIDIA—to expand AI infrastructure capacity and help shape the future of AI-driven economic growth.

Foreign media: $40 billion—BlackRock bets big on artificial intelligence.

【Global Times Finance Comprehensive Report】October 4 news: According to Bloomberg, citing informed sources, Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), a subsidiary of BlackRock Inc., has entered advanced negotiations to acquire Aligned Data Centers—a major beneficiary of AI-related spending—and this deal could become one of the largest of the year. Bloomberg reported that, according to a source familiar with the matter, Aligned Data Centers—backed by Macquarie Group—could be valued at approximately $40 billion in this transaction. Additionally, MGX—an AI investment firm established by sovereign wealth fund Mubadala Investment Co.—is also participating in these negotiations and will make a standalone investment as part of the deal.

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