Plano-based Aligned Data Centers is being acquired in a deal worth around $40 billion by the Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure Partnership (“AIP”), MGX, and BlackRock’s Global Infrastructure Partners.

AIP was founded by BlackRock, BlackRock’s Global Infrastructure Partners, MGX, Microsoft, and NVIDIA to expand capacity of AI infrastructure and help shape the future of AI-driven economic growth. Its financial anchor investors include the Kuwait Investment Authority and Temasek. The AIP platform also includes Elon Musk’s xAI, Cisco as a technology partner, and agreements with GE Vernova and NextEra Energy to help accelerate the scaling of energy solutions for AI data centers.

The consortium is acquiring 100% of the equity in Aligned Data Centers from private infrastructure funds managed by Sydney, Australia-based Macquarie Asset Management and its co-investment partners. The consortium said the transaction will fuel the expansion of next-generation cloud and AI infrastructure.

Deal marks AIP’s first investment

AIP said the acquisition is its first investment and an important step towards its initial target of mobilizing and deploying $30 billion of equity capital, with the potential of reaching $100 billion including debt. It said that with Aligned’s strong customer relationships, presence in key strategic digital hubs, and proven management team, Aligned is well positioned to anchor AIP’s vision for the future of AI infrastructure.

“Partnering with the consortium will accelerate our mission to deliver the infrastructure powering tomorrow’s digital economy,” Aligned Data Centers CEO Andrew Schaap said in a statement. “With AIP, MGX, and GIP’s global reach, extensive resources, and deep expertise across AI, energy, and finance, we’re poised to scale faster, innovate further, and redefine what’s possible in sustainable data center infrastructure.”

Aligned will continue to be headquartered in Dallas and be led by Schaap and Aligned’s existing leadership team.

The deal is slated to close in the first half of 2026.

Shaping the future of AI

Larry Fink, chairman and CEO of BlackRock and the chairman of AIP, said the consortium is “positioned to meet the growing demand for the infrastructure required as AI continues to reshape the global economy.”

“This partnership is bringing together leading companies and mobilizing private capital to accelerate AI innovation and drive global economic growth and productivity,” Fink added in a statement. “With this investment in Aligned Data Centers, we further our goal of delivering the infrastructure necessary to power the future of AI, while offering our clients attractive opportunities to participate in its growth,”  said in a statement.

Aligned has 50 data center campuses across the U.S. and Latin America

AIP said that in less than a decade, Aligned has evolved into one of the largest and fastest growing data center companies in the world. It designs, builds, and operates cutting-edge data campuses and data centers for the world’s premier hyperscalers, neocloud, and enterprise innovators.

Aligned’s portfolio includes 50 campuses and more than 5 gigawatts of operational and planned capacity, including assets under development, primarily located in key Tier I digital gateway regions across the U.S. and Latin America, including Dallas, Northern Virginia, Chicago, Ohio, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Sao Paulo (Brazil), Queretaro (Mexico), and Santiago (Chile).

AIP said that Aligned’s rapid expansion has been fueled by strong execution and operating capabilities under the leadership of Aligned’s experienced management team.

Aligned’s Gigascale, Build-to-Scale, and Multi-Tenant Enterprise solutions leverage patented and patent-pending air, liquid, and hybrid cooling systems to deliver maximum adaptability and support evolving high-density AI workloads, even in energy-constrained regions, AIP said. Also, Aligned’s robust supply chain, strong partnerships, strategic land acquisitions, and energy enablement are driving efficiency and reliability.

According to AIP, Aligned also benefits from access to multiple sources of capital, providing financial flexibility for future growth.

View from investors

The Consortium brings deep expertise and capabilities across AI and digital infrastructure and includes AIP’s strategic partnership group and ability to form capital at scale, MGX’s leading global investment focus on AI and advanced technologies, and GIP’s long track record as a leading infrastructure investor with experience owning and operating some of the world’s most complex infrastructure assets.

The investment will equip Aligned with the capital and strategic support needed to accelerate growth and meet the rising demand for scalable, sustainable digital infrastructure. With backing from the Consortium, Aligned said it will accelerate the expansion of its footprint, drive further innovation, and continue delivering next-generation data center solutions.

“We are entering a new era in which AI will fundamentally reengineer our economies and enable accelerated growth. Compute infrastructure at scale will be foundational to that progress. Our investment in Aligned Data Centers will direct scalable capital to an operator built for efficiency and growth, with the mission to deliver the infrastructure needed to support global AI adoption.” Ahmed Yahia Al Idrissi, managing director and CEO of MGX and vice chairman of AIP, said.

Bayo Ogunlesi, chairman and CEO of Global Infrastructure Partners, a part of BlackRock, said the deal will have lasting impact.

“AI is reshaping every sector of the global economy,” Ogunlesi said. “By combining Aligned’s scalable, adaptable platform with AIP’s capital and capabilities, we will build the infrastructure to support innovation at scale—creating resilient, sustainable communities and unlocking transformative growth worldwide.”

Follows February announcement of new Aligned data center in Mansfield

In February, Dallas Innovates wrote about Aligned’s plans to open announced it will open a new data center in Mansfield to help meet demand for AI, cloud, and enterprise applications.

The campus, Aligned’s DFW-03, will be on a 27-acre site at 3801 Britton Road near State Highway 360 in the eastern part of Mansfield. The new data center marks an expansion of the company’s presence in Dallas-Fort Worth, the company said.

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