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The
acquisition comes amid a flurry of deals in recent months
involving top AI developers that are flooding the booming AI
sector with resources and money, and addressing resources --
such as electricity and infrastructure -- needed to support such
technology.
Last week it was revealed that semiconductor maker AMD will
supply its chips to artificial intelligence company OpenAI as
part of an agreement to team up on building AI infrastructure.
OpenAI will also get the option to buy as much as a 10% stake in
AMD, according to a joint statement announcing the deal.
Last month, OpenAI and Nvidia announced a $100 billion
partnership that will add at least 10 gigawatts of data center
computing power.
Aligned’s portfolio includes 50 campuses and more than 5
gigawatts of operational and planned capacity, including assets
under development, mostly located across the U.S. and in Latin
America. Some locations include northern Virginia; Chicago;
Dallas; Ohio; Phoenix; Salt Lake City; Sao Paulo, Brazil;
Queretaro, Mexico; and Santiago, Chile.
Aligned, which is privately held, will continue to be led by CEO
Andrew Schaap and keep its headquarters in Dallas.
One of the sellers, Macquarie Asset Management, initially
invested in Aligned in 2018. Ben Way, head of Macquarie Asset
Management, said in a statement, “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 to support their rapid growth and deliver positive
impact.”
The transaction is the first deal for the investment consortium,
which is named the Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure
Partnership. The consortium has an initial target of mobilizing
and deploying $30 billion of equity capital, with the potential
of reaching $100 billion including debt.
“AIP is positioned to meet the growing demand for the
infrastructure required as AI continues to reshape the global
economy," BlackRock Chairman and CEO and AIP Chairman Larry Fink
said in a statement. “This partnership is bringing together
leading companies and mobilizing private capital to accelerate
AI innovation and drive global economic growth and
productivity.”
The deal is expected to close in the first half of 2026.
Shares of Nvidia rose about 1% in morning trading.
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