BlackRock, MGX add $5B to Aligned Data Centers after $40B buyout
What's the deal? An investor group led by BlackRock and Emirati fund MGXDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → has committed a further $5 billion to Aligned Data CentersDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, following its roughly $40 billion take-private acquisition of the company. The Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure Partnership (AIP) also joined the group.
Why now? Demand for data centres and compute is surging as artificial intelligence and cloud services scale. The group is doubling down on one of the sector's fastest-growing operators.
What does Aligned do? Founded in Texas in 2013 and headquartered in Dallas, the company runs 51 data centres either operational or under development. Its total operational and planned capacity exceeds 6.4GW across North and South America.
Its cooling technology, backed by more than 50 patents, cuts water use and improves energy efficiency — a selling point as operators face pressure over environmental impact.
What's the endgame? The fresh capital targets Aligned's expansion into new global markets and its ability to serve AI firms and cloud providers with rising compute needs. Chief executive officer Andrew Schaap and the management team will continue to lead the company from Dallas.
The bigger commitment: The group has outlined plans to lift capital investment to $30 billion in a first phase, with total investment potentially reaching $100 billion in later stages. The strategy centres on building digital infrastructure worldwide.
The signal: The deal underscores how global investors are treating data centres as a core pillar of the AI economy. Competition is intensifying to fund the infrastructure behind large-scale digital services.
Read more: Enterprise Arabi
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