Group 1: Acquisition Overview - A consortium including BlackRock, Nvidia, and Microsoft is acquiring Aligned Data Centers for approximately $40 billion to enhance next-generation cloud and AI infrastructure [1] - The acquisition is part of a trend of significant deals in the AI sector, aimed at addressing the resources needed to support AI technology [1] Group 2: Aligned Data Centers - Aligned's portfolio consists of 50 campuses with over 5 gigawatts of operational and planned capacity, primarily located in the U.S. and Latin America [3] - Key locations for Aligned include northern Virginia, Chicago, Dallas, Ohio, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, Sao Paulo, Brazil, Queretaro, Mexico, and Santiago, Chile [3] - Aligned will remain privately held and continue to be led by CEO Andrew Schaap, with its headquarters in Dallas [3] Group 3: Investment Consortium - The acquisition marks the first deal for the Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure Partnership, which aims to mobilize and deploy $30 billion in equity capital, potentially reaching $100 billion including debt [4] - The consortium is focused on meeting the increasing demand for infrastructure as AI transforms the global economy [5] Group 4: Market Impact - Following the announcement of the deal, shares of Nvidia increased by more than 2% before the market opened [5] - The transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2026 [5]