From Bloomberg via MSN, October 3:
BlackRock Nears $40 Billion Data Center Deal in Bet on AI
BlackRock Inc.’s Global Infrastructure Partners is in advanced talks to acquire Aligned Data Centers, targeting a major beneficiary of AI spending in one of the year’s biggest deals, according to people familiar with the matter.
Aligned, which is backed by Macquarie, could be valued at about $40 billion in a transaction, one of the people said. An agreement could be announced within days, the people added, asking not to be identified because the information is private.
MGX, an AI investment company established by sovereign wealth fund Mubadala Investment Co., is also involved in the talks and would invest independently as part of a transaction, one of the people said. Mubadala has separately already invested in Aligned.
GIP has also been eyeing other big takeovers, including a potential acquisition of power company AES Corp. on expectations that the sector will benefit from surging electricity demand from facilities running AI applications. AES has an enterprise value of about $38 billion, including debt.
GIP hasn’t reached a final agreement for Aligned Data Centers and some details might change or the talks could still end without a transaction, the people said.
A spokesperson for BlackRock declined to comment. Representatives for Aligned, Macquarie and Mubadala didn’t respond to requests for comment outside of regular business hours....
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