Macquarie Asset Management has announced an agreement to sell Aligned Data Centers to a consortium of investors, including the AI Infrastructure Partnership (AIP), MGX, and BlackRock’s Global Infrastructure Partners. The deal values Aligned at approximately $40 billion, making it the largest transaction to date in the global data center sector by enterprise value. The sale is expected to close in the first half of 2026, pending regulatory approval and customary closing conditions.
Aligned Data Centers, based in Dallas, Texas, provides data center solutions for hyperscale and enterprise customers throughout North and South America. Since Macquarie Asset Management’s initial investment in 2018, Aligned has expanded from two facilities with 85 MW of capacity to a platform with over 5 GW of operational and planned capacity across 50 data centers in the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Chile, and Colombia. During this period, Aligned achieved milestones such as securing the first green data center securitization and sustainability-linked financing for a data center platform.
Ben Way, Head of Macquarie Asset Management, said, “This transaction underscores Macquarie Asset Management’s ability to consistently identify key thematics early and find opportunities that create value for our clients and partners. The scaling of Aligned Data Centers from two locations to 50 in seven years is representative of our approach to working with great companies and teams to support their rapid growth and deliver positive impact.”
Karl Kuchel, CEO of Macquarie Infrastructure Partners, commented, “Over the last 20 years, Macquarie Infrastructure Partners has been investing in critical infrastructure in the Americas, and the digital and communications sectors, including the investment in Aligned, have been a core part of this strategy. As a long-term infrastructure investor, we have partnered with management teams to develop and scale digital, energy and other infrastructure platforms and Aligned is another example of successfully implementing this approach to deliver a strong outcome for MIP investors."
Anton Moldan, Senior Managing Director at Macquarie Asset Management, stated, “We are proud of Aligned’s growth journey since we invested into the company in 2018 and appreciate the support of the management team and our clients and partners. We shared a vision with the Aligned management team to build a scaled pure-play hyperscale data center platform in the Americas with a differentiated land bank with access to scaled near term power in core markets. Today’s announcement marks the realization of that vision and reflects the quality and strength of Aligned as a world class platform.”
Andrew Schaap, CEO of Aligned Data Centers, said, "The Aligned story is one of genuine partnership and foresight, and we appreciate the incredible collaboration with Macquarie Asset Management on our growth journey. We are proud of what we have achieved together in expanding our footprint and bringing our innovative solutions to our core customers, and we are excited about our next chapter in fueling AI expansion.”
Macquarie Asset Management has invested in digital infrastructure globally for more than twenty years. Its portfolio includes data center operators such as AirTrunk, Applied Digital, Bohao Internet Data Services, Hanam Data Centre, Netrality Data Centers, VIRTUS, as well as investments in fiber networks and cell towers. This deal follows another significant data center sale by Macquarie Asset Management in 2024 when it sold AirTrunk for $16 billion including debt and planned capital expenditure.
Guggenheim Securities acted as lead financial advisor on the sale. Additional financial advisors included Wells Fargo, TD Securities, Deutsche Bank, Goldman Sachs & Co., J.P. Morgan, Citizens JMP Securities, and BofA Securities. Latham & Watkins served as legal counsel for the sellers while Sterlington provided legal counsel for Aligned’s management.
Macquarie Asset Management manages about $588.1 billion in assets across public and private markets. It is part of Macquarie Group, which employs over 19,000 people in 31 markets worldwide.