BlackRock's GIP Aligns for Biggest-Ever Data Center Acquisition: $40 Billion Deal Nears Completion

BlackRock's Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) is in advanced talks to acquire Aligned Data Centers for approximately $40 billion, potentially the largest data center acquisition ever. The deal would align with the growing need for AI infrastructure, estimated to require at least $1 trillion in spending. Other infra firms, sovereign wealth funds, and Big Tech are also investing in data centers as they become a crucial part of the compute boom.

BlackRock's Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) is in advanced discussions to acquire Aligned Data Centers for approximately $40 billion, potentially the largest data center acquisition ever. This deal underscores the growing need for AI infrastructure, estimated to require at least $1 trillion in spending. Other infrastructure firms, sovereign wealth funds, and Big Tech companies are also investing heavily in data centers, as they become a crucial part of the compute boom.

Aligned Data Centers, headquartered in Plano, Texas, operates 78 data centers across 50 campuses throughout the US and South America. The company has been a key player in expanding AI-related infrastructure, including participating in meetings with Trump administration officials last month on accelerating AI development and supporting the underlying data center capacity. In January, Aligned secured more than $12 billion in equity and debt commitments from investors, signaling robust confidence in the company’s growth trajectory.

The acquisition is not just limited to GIP and Aligned. Mubadala Investment Co., through its backing of AGX, is reportedly looking to make a separate investment in Aligned as part of this transaction. This multi-faceted deal structure highlights the complex web of investors eager to capitalize on the AI boom.

GIP, which is now part of BlackRock Inc., has prior experience in the sector, having acquired Dallas-based data center firm CyrusOne with KKR & Co. in a 2021 deal valued at about $15 billion. The potential Aligned transaction would further strengthen GIP’s position in the growing data center market, which has become increasingly critical amid rising demand for cloud computing and artificial intelligence services.

The deal is part of a broader trend of massive investments in AI infrastructure. It follows closely on the heels of other significant deals, such as CoreWeave's $6.4 billion investment from OpenAI, and OpenAI's own $300 billion contract with Oracle and $100 billion partnership with Nvidia. McKinsey estimates that investments in AI data centers could reach $6.7 trillion by 2030 to meet this surging demand.

For BlackRock and GIP, this acquisition significantly expands their footprint in the AI data center space. Aligned would join CyrusOne in GIP's growing portfolio of AI infrastructure assets. This move positions BlackRock to capitalize on the long-term growth potential of AI technologies and the critical infrastructure that supports them.

As the deal nears completion, it serves as a testament to the immense value placed on AI infrastructure in today's tech-driven economy. The acquisition of Aligned Data Centers by GIP could reshape the competitive landscape of AI infrastructure providers and accelerate the development of AI technologies across various industries.

References
BlackRock Subsidiary GIP Set to Acquire Aligned Data Centers in $40 Billion Deal^[1] https://theoutpost.ai/news-story/black-rock-subsidiary-gip-set-to-acquire-aligned-data-centers-in-40-billion-deal-20661/
$40 Billion Data Center Deal in the Works^[2] https://slguardian.org/40-billion-data-center-deal-in-the-works/