美股IPO·2025-10-16 00:04Core Viewpoint - The article discusses a landmark $40 billion acquisition in the data center industry led by BlackRock's AI Infrastructure Partnership (AIP), highlighting the growing demand for AI infrastructure assets and the strategic expansion plans for the acquired company, Aligned [2][4]. Group 1: Transaction Details - AIP, formed by BlackRock, NVIDIA, and Microsoft, has announced a $40 billion deal to acquire Aligned, marking one of the largest transactions in data center history [2][4]. - The transaction is expected to be completed in the first half of 2026, pending regulatory approval [2][4]. - Aligned currently operates or is developing approximately 50 facilities in the Americas, with a total operational and planned capacity of 5 gigawatts [3][5]. Group 2: Market Implications - This acquisition reflects strong market demand for AI infrastructure assets, with AIP aiming to raise up to $100 billion to expand data center and energy infrastructure supporting AI growth [4]. - The CEO of Abu Dhabi's MGX emphasized the significant global demand for capacity building in cloud computing and AI, estimating an annual requirement of about 20 gigawatts, with half of that expected in the U.S. [4]. - The deal represents a substantial return for Macquarie, which invested in Aligned in 2018 and expanded its stake in 2020, showcasing the value reassessment of data center assets driven by the AI wave [6][7].