The AI Infrastructure Investment Alliance (AIP), composed of technology giants such as NVIDIA, Microsoft, xAI and Cisco,AnnounceThe acquisition of data center operator Aligned Data Centers for US$400 billion set a new record for the size of global data center transactions.
Transaction Background and Scale
The transaction was completed by Macquarie Asset Management on behalf of its two infrastructure private equity funds, MIP IV and MIP V, and co-investment partners. The buyer consortium included Abu Dhabi-based AI Investments MGX and BlackRock's Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), in addition to the AIP Alliance.
Of particular note is the AIP Alliance, established in 2024, which is the world's first major investment alliance dedicated to AI infrastructure, with a potential investment of up to $100 billion. This transaction amount far exceeds Aligned's valuation when it completed a $12 billion financing round in January of this year, demonstrating the market's strong optimism about the demand for AI infrastructure.
Technical Advantages of Aligned Data Centers
Founded in 2013 and headquartered in Texas, USA, Aligned Data Centers specializes in providing resilient, scalable, and rapidly deployable hyperscale data center solutions. The company is renowned for its unique modular design, enabling rapid expansion of power and space based on customer needs.
Aligned Data Centers also excels in green technology, boasting over 5GW of data center power capacity across approximately 50 data center campuses, including those in operation, under construction, and planned. Excluding large technology companies that don't operate dedicated data centers, such as Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and Meta, Aligned Data Centers would rank among the top five global data center operators.
Demand for AI infrastructure explodes
Ahmed Yahia Al Idrissi, CEO of MGX and Vice Chairman of AIP, noted that we are entering a new era where AI will reshape the economy and accelerate growth, and large-scale computing infrastructure will be the foundation of this progress. The investment in Aligned is expected to channel scalable capital to an operator focused on efficiency and growth.
The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2026. Aligned Data Centers will remain headquartered in Texas, with Andrew Schaap continuing to serve as CEO. This acquisition also reflects the tech giant's aggressive infrastructure development efforts to ensure a stable supply of computing resources in response to the explosive growth of AI.
As AI applications continue to increase their computing demands, data centers have become strategic assets that technology giants are vying to acquire. This $400 billion transaction not only sets a record but also heralds a new era of AI infrastructure investment.
