Macquarie noted that the transaction values Aligned at approximately $40 billion
In sum – what to know:
Record $40B transaction – The sale of Aligned Data Centers marks the largest-ever global data center deal, highlighting the sector’s continued surge in strategic value.
From 85 MW to 5 GW – Under Macquarie’s ownership, Aligned expanded from two sites to a 50-facility portfolio across the Americas, integrating sustainability-linked financing structures.
AI-driven growth outlook – New ownership aligns Aligned’s next phase with accelerating AI and hyperscale demand, underscoring investor appetite for large-scale digital infrastructure assets.
Macquarie Asset Management announced an agreement to sell Aligned Data Centers to a consortium comprising the AI Infrastructure Partnership (AIP), MGX, and BlackRock’s Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), the former said in a release.
The transaction values Aligned at approximately $40 billion, making it the largest data center deal recorded globally.
Aligned, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, operates hyperscale and enterprise data centers across North and South America. The sale is expected to close in the first half of 2026, subject to regulatory approvals, Macquarie Asset Management said.
Macquarie first invested in Aligned in 2018 through its Infrastructure Partners IV fund and increased its stake in 2020 via Infrastructure Partners V. During that period, Aligned grew from two operational sites in Dallas and Phoenix totaling 85 MW to a regional platform exceeding 5 GW of operational and planned capacity across 50 sites in the U.S., Mexico, Brazil, Chile, and Colombia.
In the U.S., Aligned has campuses in Chicago, Dallas, Salt Lake City, Phoenix, and Northern Virginia. The company has further sites in development in Maryland, Ohio, Illinois, and Virginia.
Ben Way, head of Macquarie Asset Management, said the transaction reflects the firm’s long-term approach to infrastructure investment. “The expansion of Aligned into a multi-market hyperscale platform highlights the growing scale of digital infrastructure across the Americas,” he said.
Andrew Schaap, CEO of Aligned Data Centers, added:. “We are proud of what we’ve achieved in building a large-scale, adaptive infrastructure platform that supports the rapid expansion of AI and cloud workloads,” he said.
News that Aligned Data Centers could be sold was first reported earlier this month.
Macquarie Asset Management has invested in several global data center and digital infrastructure firms, including AirTrunk, Applied Digital, Bohao Internet Data Services, Hanam Data Centre, Netrality, and VIRTUS. The deal follows the 2024 sale of AirTrunk, valued at $16 billion.