Macquarie Backs Data Center Provider Aligned Energy

Investment fund Macquarie Infrastructure Partners has become an investor in the data center provider Aligned Energy. MIP and Aligned’s previously existing backer BlueMountain Capital Management will control the company jointly, according to a news release.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

In a statement, Aligned CEO Andrew Schaap said MIP’s investment will give his company “enhanced financial resources to meet substantial levels of current market demand.”

MIP, a fund managed by Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets, invests in communications infrastructure. MIRA is a subsidiary of the Sydney-based global investment banking firm Macquarie Group.

Aligned launched its first data center, in Plano, Texas, in 2015. Its second site, in Phoenix, came online last year and has seen enough demand to kick off second-phase construction recently.

The company also recently announced plans to build a 50MW data center in Salt Lake City.

Aligned uses original cooling technology developed by its subsidiary Inertech to differentiate. Also used by eBay, Lenovo, and Telus, the technology enables the data center provider to offer flexible capacity to its customers, allowing them to expand or shrink their footprint within Aligned facilities as needed, paying only for what they use.

Schaap, former senior VP at Digital Realty Trust, joined Aligned as chief executive last year.