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Investors Buy Data Centers for AI
Coverage from Aligned Data Centers, PR Newswire, and others
Infrastructure investors are committing substantial capital to data centers as demand shifts toward high-density, lower-latency AI workloads.
I Squared Capital agreed to buy 10 Cogent facilities for $225 million and plans to invest another $1 billion, while a consortium led by AIP, MGX, and BlackRock’s GIP completed the approximately $40 billion purchase of Aligned and committed $5 billion for growth. The transactions expand investor control over sites with existing power, connectivity, and expansion potential, while making grid access, cooling, and deployment timelines increasingly important.
The main update is that the story now includes fresh execution details: the Cogent deal has a reported third-quarter 2026 closing target, and the Aligned transaction is now framed around a larger operational footprint with 51 campuses across the Americas. The broader framing also shifts toward resource constraints such as grid access, cooling, and deployment speed.
The story broadened from a single Cogent asset sale into a larger wave of AI infrastructure investment, highlighted by the completed Aligned acquisition and fresh expansion capital. The new framing is that investors are not just buying existing capacity, but actively scaling AI-ready platforms across multiple markets.