TLDRs;
- Nvidia (NVDA) stock rose 1.7% to $182.90 as investors welcomed the $40B Aligned Data Centers acquisition.
- BlackRock, Microsoft, and xAI joined Nvidia in buying one of the world’s largest data center operators.
- Aligned operates nearly 80 data centers with over 5 GW in capacity across the U.S. and Latin America.
- The deal highlights surging AI infrastructure demand, with U.S. power needs expected to double by 2030.
Shares of Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA) rose 1.7% to $182.90 in Thursday morning trading as investors interpreted the move as another signal of sustained AI infrastructure spending.
For Nvidia, this deal not only strengthens its influence over the AI hardware ecosystem but also ties the company closer to the data center supply chain, from GPU design to end deployment. The acquisition reinforces investor confidence that AI adoption remains in its early innings, with infrastructure demand poised to support long-term growth for chipmakers and cloud providers alike.
Microsoft (MSFT) and BlackRock (BLK) shares also traded modestly higher, reflecting steady investor sentiment toward firms positioning themselves at the center of the global AI boom.
Big Tech Backs $40B AI Data Center Deal
In a landmark collaboration between technology and finance, BlackRock, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Elon Musk’s xAI have agreed to acquire Aligned Data Centers in a deal valued at $40 billion. The agreement ranks among the largest private data infrastructure transactions in history, underscoring the critical role data centers play in enabling the AI revolution.
The investor group also includes Abu Dhabi’s MGX, the Kuwait Investment Authority, and Singapore’s Temasek Holdings, marking a rare convergence of institutional investors, sovereign wealth funds, and leading AI developers around a shared infrastructure vision.
Aligned, based in Dallas, operates nearly 80 data centers across 50 campuses in the U.S. and Latin America, with over 5 gigawatts (GW) of operational and planned capacity. Upon completion, expected in the first half of 2026, CEO Andrew Schaap will continue to lead the company from its Dallas headquarters.
AI Infrastructure Demand Surges Globally
The acquisition reflects the rapidly growing appetite for AI-ready infrastructure, driven by large language models, generative AI systems, and high-performance computing workloads.
According to S&P Global, U.S. data center power demand is forecasted to rise from 61.8 GW in 2025 to 134.4 GW by 2030, effectively doubling in just five years. While Aligned’s 5 GW capacity makes up roughly 4% of 2030’s projected demand, it remains an essential building block in supporting the next wave of AI scaling.
Yet industry analysts warn that new capacity may take years to materialize. Power grid interconnection delays and utility constraints could postpone significant expansions until 2027–2029, leaving the current market strained amid surging AI compute needs.
Cooling Technology and Power Constraints
Aligned’s edge lies in innovation. The company has developed DeltaFlow™, a proprietary liquid cooling system designed to manage heat generated by dense GPU clusters that power AI workloads.
As data intensity rises, efficient cooling becomes essential. A Deloitte survey found that 90% of data center leaders prioritize new cooling technologies for energy efficiency and sustainability. With 73% of North America’s 8 GW construction pipeline already pre-leased, many developers are turning to secondary markets, offering cheaper power and shorter build times, to keep pace with demand.
Metros such as Northern Virginia and Chicago remain the core hubs of absorption, recording over 1,000 megawatts (MW) of net leasing in the first half of 2025 alone. Still, experts note that supply remains constrained, putting pressure on infrastructure investors to expand aggressively.
