BlackRock’s infrastructure arm is making one of the boldest bets yet on the AI boom with a deal that could reshape the digital backbone of the industry. Reports say Global Infrastructure Partners, a subsidiary of BlackRock, is acquiring Aligned Data Centers in a transaction valued at around $40 billion. With it comes control of 78 facilities across the U.S. and South America, boasting a staggering 5 gigawatts of capacity. According to Reuters, this deal is one of the largest ever in the data center sector.
Aligned has been a rising player in the hyperscale and AI market, known for rapidly building out facilities that can support the enormous power and cooling demands of machine learning workloads. In recent years, it raised over $12 billion to fuel growth and has now caught the eye of the world’s biggest asset manager. The acquisition will give BlackRock a huge foothold in one of the fastest-expanding parts of the tech economy.
The timing isn’t surprising. Data centers have become the new oil wells in the AI race. Every large language model, every generative tool, every real-time application needs immense amounts of computing power. That means racks of servers running 24/7, guzzling electricity, and requiring advanced cooling systems. Owning these facilities puts BlackRock at the very heart of this transformation.
But it isn’t just about capacity. With the acquisition, GIP also takes on the challenge of managing diverse infrastructure spread across multiple regions. Ensuring reliability, dealing with regulatory hurdles, and balancing power demands against local grid constraints are all part of the package. Still, if handled well, the payoff could be huge, cementing BlackRock as more than just a financial player—it becomes an essential enabler of AI.
The deal reportedly involves Mubadala-backed AI investment firm MGX as a co-investor, highlighting how sovereign wealth and private capital are flooding into this space. Tom’s Hardware noted that once the acquisition closes, GIP will control one of the largest independent data center operators in the world.
As AI adoption accelerates, this move signals where the real battles are being fought—not just in algorithms or apps, but in the physical infrastructure that keeps them running. BlackRock isn’t just investing in the future of AI—it’s buying the grid that powers it.
