Massive computational power on its way
Yesterday was another day of staggering dollar mounts and circular deals, with BlackRock’s GIP Consortium announcing a record-breaking $40 billion acquisition of Aligned Data Centers from Macquarie Group. The largest deal of its kind, financial backing will come from BlackRock, Nvidia, Microsoft, Temasek, MGX, xAI, and the Kuwait Investment Authority, boosting confidence that the group can raise its target of $80 billion to $100 billion. That level of funding would greatly expand Aligned Data Centers’ footprint over the next few years.
The need for a larger data-center footprint is driven by global capacity demands, which are expected to triple by 2030. Goldman Sachs recently predicted power demand by DCs to surge 165% by 2030, driven by AI, data consumption and cloud services. Those are three areas of intense focus for many industries, with telecom becoming a leader in infrastructure, AI and new revenue models. Never known for rapid transformation, Nvidia SVP Ronnie Vasishta recently told RCR Wireless News “every telco has some something to say now about how they’re adopting AI,” which he believes will catalyze structural change, reshaping everything from customer experience to network planning to how operators think about their business models.
Telcos aren’t the only ones flocking to AI for transformational change, as Omdia predicts enterprise sales through hyperscaler cloud marketplaces will climb from $30 billion in 2024 to $163 billion by 2030. The biggest growth areas are agentic AI and cybersecurity, which will drive an annual increase of 37%, with channel partners facilitating 60% of the deals.
Susana Schwartz
Technology Editor
RCRTech
AI Infrastructure Top Stories
Record breaking: BlackRock’s $40 billion acquisition of Aligned Data Centers is the starting point to what it believes can turn into $80 billion to $100 billion in capital raised.
Nvidia targets telecom: Nvidia sees the telco AI future taking shape and positions itself as a key enabler to helping the industry rethink infrastructure and redefine revenue models.
Potential $163B market: Enterprises are buying third-party AI software from hyperscalers at a rapid rate, with Omdia predicting sales will reach $163 billion by 2030.
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