GIP nears deal to buy Aligned Data Centers for about $40 bn

BLACKROCK'S GLOBAL INFRASTRUCTURE Partners is in advanced talks to acquire Aligned Data Centers, targeting amajorbeneficiary of AI spending in one of the year’s biggest deals, according to people familiar with the matter.

- RYAN GOULD, MICHELLE F. DAVIS, MATTHEW MONKS AND MANUEL BAIGORRI

Aligned, which is backed by Macquarie, could bevaluedat about $40 billion in a transaction, one of the people said.Anagreement could be announced within days, the people added, asking not to be identified because the information is private. MGX, an AI investment company established by sovereign wealth fund Mubadala Investment, is also involved in the talks and would invest independently as part of a transaction, one of the people said. Mubadala has separately already