Overview
- A buyer group led by the Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure Partnership, Abu Dhabi’s MGX and BlackRock’s Global Infrastructure Partners agreed to acquire Aligned from Macquarie for roughly $40 billion and committed $5 billion to accelerate growth.
- The consortium includes industry players tied to the AI stack, such as members of AIP that count Microsoft and NVIDIA, a mix that market watchers say is likely to draw antitrust and regulatory scrutiny over concentrated ownership.
- Aligned operates more than 50 campuses with multiple gigawatts of capacity and is building Project Caprock, a $5 billion Texas campus designed for high‑density AI workloads.
- Analysts warn the planned multi‑gigawatt buildouts will increase demand for long‑term power contracts and renewable energy, creating direct competition with energy‑intensive users like Bitcoin miners and stressing regional grids.
- The deal shifts global capital into AI infrastructure, leaves Aligned’s management in place, and moves next to regulator reviews and the companies’ execution of planned campus expansions that will affect local power markets and customers.