Nvidia-backed consortium buys AI data centre firm from Macquarie $69.9b

A consortium led by BlackRock, including Nvidia and Microsoft, will acquire Aligned Data Centres for US$40 billion ($69.9b). Photo / Getty Images

A consortium led by asset manager BlackRock, including chip giant Nvidia and Microsoft is set to acquire data centre specialist Aligned Data Centres from Australian financial services group Macquarie for approximately US$40 billion ($69.9b).

The deal marks another sign of the tech sector’s insatiable appetite for AI infrastructure, including chips,
servers, and data centres that provide the computing storage and processing power required by artificial intelligence.

And it comes on the heels of Macquarie’s A$23b deal to seel Australian and Asia Pacific data centre operator AirTrunk to Blackstone for A$23.5b and the rise and rise in valuation of Canberra Data Centres, half-owned by NZX-listed Infratil. On October 7, Infratil said the latest 2025 independent valuation of CDC showed an increase of A$77 million since June 30 to A$13.6b, making its 49.72% stake worth a new high of A$6.8b.

Founded in 2013, Aligned currently operates more than 50 data centres across the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, and Colombia, with a projected capacity exceeding 5 gigawatts.

Macquarie initially acquired a stake in the Texas-based company in 2018 through its subsidiary Macquarie Asset Management and subsequently increased its investment in 2020.