AI infrastructure push: Nvidia and Microsoft join BlackRock-led group in $40 billion data center deal; computing power in pictures – The Times of India

A consortium led by global asset manager BlackRock, along with chipmaker Nvidia and tech giant Microsoft, plans to acquire Aligned Data Centers from Australian financial services firm Macquarie in a deal worth about $40 billion.The acquisition underlines the tech sector’s escalating race to build artificial intelligence infrastructure – from chips and servers to large-scale data centers that support AI computing and storage needs.According to AFP, Aligned, founded in 2013, operates more than 50 data centers in the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Chile and Colombia, with an expected total capacity of more than 5 gigawatts. Macquarie first invested in the Texas-based company through its asset management arm in 2018 and expanded its stake in 2020.The consortium – made up of BlackRock, Emirati state-owned technology fund MGX and the Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure Partnership (AIP) – plans to use a mix of $30 billion in direct investment and leveraged debt to reach a total investment capacity of $100 billion. AIP was founded in 2024 by BlackRock in partnership with MGX, Nvidia and Microsoft.“The acquisition allows our customers to directly participate in the growth of AI,” said Larry Fink, CEO and AIP chairman of BlackRock, in a statement. MGX CEO Ahmed Yahia Al Idrissi, who is also vice chairman of AIP, called it a milestone for an “era in which AI will fundamentally restructure our economies and enable accelerated growth.”Completion of the transaction is expected in the first half of 2026, with the share distribution among the partners yet to be announced.