Giant Aligned Data Centers Acquisition
A lot has been happening in the data center sector recently, mainly due to growing interest in artificial intelligence. A consortium led by BlackRock, which includes giants such as Microsoft, Nvidia, and MGX, has just announced the acquisition of Aligned Data Centers for a staggering CZK 920 billion. This deal is part of a newly formed group called the Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure Partnership, or AIP, which was established in September 2024. It is their first major investment, and they plan to commit CZK 690 billion in equity, with the potential to expand it to as much as CZK 2.3 trillion when debt financing is included.
Aligned Data Centers, previously owned by Macquarie Asset Management, has grown in seven years from just two facilities to fifty campuses in key locations across the US. Together, these campuses have more than five gigawatts of operational and planned capacity. The deal is expected to close in the first half of 2026 and also involves other partners, including the Kuwait Investment Authority, Singapore's Temasek, Elon Musk's xAI, Cisco, GE Vernova, and NextEra Energy. All of this is intended to support artificial intelligence infrastructure, which requires enormous amounts of computing power.
AWS and the Copper Deal with Rio Tinto
Another major development comes from Amazon Web Services, or AWS, which has signed a two-year agreement with Nuton, a Rio Tinto venture. The goal is to secure copper supplies for AWS data centers in the US directly from the Johnson Camp mine in Arizona. The mine, located about 105 kilometers east of Tucson, became the first new copper producer in the US in more than a decade when it began operations last fall. It is an open-pit mine using heap leaching technology, with an annual capacity of 11,340 metric tons of copper and an expected operating life of 15 to 20 years.
The agreement covers the supply of approximately 14,000 metric tons of copper cathodes over four years, making AWS the first customer for Nuton's bioleaching technology. This method uses microorganisms to extract copper from sulfide ores, eliminating the need for traditional concentrators, smelters, and refineries. The result? Recovery rates of up to 85%, an 80% reduction in water consumption, and 60% lower carbon emissions compared with conventional methods. Rio Tinto managed to move from concept to industrial production in just 18 months, far faster than the typical 18 years for similar projects.
Benefits for Both Parties
As part of the partnership, AWS will provide cloud data and analytics to help Nuton optimize operations, such as acid and water consumption. In return, Nuton will use AWS platforms to simulate heap leaching performance and better predict copper recovery rates. All of this aligns with Amazon's goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2040 under its climate pledge. Data centers generally use 5,000 to 15,000 metric tons of copper for cables, transformers, circuit boards, and power systems, with larger facilities consuming even more.
Source: theinformation.com and theinformation.com
