Massive AI Infrastructure Investment
A consortium led by BlackRock’s Global Infrastructure Partners has reportedly agreed to acquire Aligned Data Centers from Macquarie Asset Management in a deal valued at $40 billion, according to sources familiar with the transaction. The acquiring group includes the Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure Partnership (AIP), MGX, Microsoft, and Nvidia, signaling what analysts suggest is a major strategic shift toward physical AI infrastructure investments.
From Two Facilities to Global Portfolio
Under Macquarie Asset Management’s seven-year stewardship, Aligned Data Centers has transformed from just two facilities into a portfolio encompassing 50 data center campuses across five countries. The company now boasts more than 5 gigawatts of operational and planned capacity across the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, and Colombia, according to reports.
“This transaction underscores Macquarie Asset Management’s ability to consistently identify key thematics early and find opportunities that create value for our clients and partners,” Ben Way, head of Macquarie Asset Management, stated in the official announcement. “The scaling of Aligned Data Centers from two locations to 50 in seven years is representative of our approach to working with great companies and teams.”
Consortium Plans Major Expansion
The consortium reportedly plans to deploy up to $30 billion in equity, with the capacity to expand to $100 billion including debt, according to Reuters. The deal, which follows Macquarie’s 2024 sale of AirTrunk to another consortium, is expected to close in the first half of 2026, pending regulatory approvals and customary conditions.
Industry experts suggest this massive investment reflects broader market trends toward securing physical AI infrastructure assets. The move comes as major technology companies increasingly compete for data center capacity capable of supporting energy-intensive AI workloads.
Strategic Shift in AI Investment
According to industry analysis, this acquisition represents a fundamental shift from speculative AI investments toward physical assets that determine real computational capacity. By joining forces on Aligned, Nvidia and Microsoft are reportedly transitioning from infrastructure buyers to co-owners of the supply chain that underpins their AI strategies.
The deal coincides with other significant industry developments in the AI sector, including Oracle’s recently announced 1,000-acre data center campus in Abilene, Texas, which the company’s co-founder Larry Ellison described as a “1.2-billion-watt AI brain” during Oracle’s AI World conference this week.
Infrastructure as AI’s New Battleground
Sources indicate that AI infrastructure has become the center of gravity for the technology industry’s next growth cycle, with capital consolidating around hyperscale campuses capable of delivering continuous power, cooling, and compute capacity at industrial scale. This focus on physical infrastructure represents what analysts suggest is a maturation of the AI investment landscape.
The transaction highlights how AI’s future growth is increasingly shaped by infrastructure availability rather than just model and chip innovation. This strategic realignment mirrors other related innovations across the technology sector, where companies are securing foundational assets to support long-term growth strategies.
As the race to define the future of enterprise AI intensifies, this $40 billion infrastructure investment demonstrates how major players are positioning themselves for what industry watchers describe as the industrialization of AI. The deal follows patterns seen in other sectors where recent technology investments have shifted toward securing core infrastructure assets.
Financial experts note that despite concerns about potential AI market corrections, the long-term monetization potential of physical AI infrastructure continues to attract massive capital investments. This trend appears consistent with broader industry developments across financial markets, where infrastructure assets are increasingly viewed as strategic holdings.
For additional details about the transaction, refer to the official announcement from Macquarie and related coverage of the AI infrastructure landscape.
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