Core Insights - Aligned Data Centers successfully raised $12 billion at the beginning of the year to expand its infrastructure in response to the growing demand for AI facilities [1][6] - The company is currently in advanced discussions for a potential $40 billion acquisition by BlackRock's Global Infrastructure Partners, which could be one of the largest transactions in the data center sector [2][3] - AI-related companies have seen significant investment, with $141 billion in corporate credit issuance this year, surpassing last year's total of $127 billion [3] Company Overview - Founded in 2013, Aligned focuses on providing custom data centers with an emphasis on efficiency and sustainability, currently managing or developing 78 data centers across the Americas [5] - Aligned has raised funds to build out 5 gigawatts of data center capacity, enough to power half of New York City on a hot day, although much of this capacity is still in the planning stages [6][7] - The company currently has over 600 megawatts of operational capacity and an additional 700 megawatts under construction, positioning it as a significant player in the market [7] Market Context - The demand for AI infrastructure is driving companies like Aligned to expand rapidly, with tech firms prepared to invest hundreds of billions in physical infrastructure [4] - Aligned's potential revenue, based on industry-standard pricing, could reach nearly $1.6 billion annually, increasing to $3.4 billion when including capacity under construction [9] - Comparatively, Coreweave Inc., another cloud provider, has a market value exceeding $65 billion, highlighting the high valuations in the AI infrastructure market [8][10]