Leading global investment players - BlackRock, Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP), Microsoft, and MGX - have joined forces to launch a new AI partnership, mainly aimed at investing in new and expanded data centres to meet the growing demand for computing power.
The new entity, Global AI Infrastructure Investment Partnership (GAIIP) will help in developing more powerful AI capabilities.
The partnership aims to unlock $30 billion of private equity capital over time, which in turn will mobilise up to $100 billion in total investment potential, including debt financing.
The founders of the partnership bring together leading global investors BlackRock, GIP, and MGX, an artificial intelligence and advanced technology investor, with funding and expertise from Microsoft.
GAIIP combines expertise in infrastructure and technology to scale data centres efficiently, alongside energy, power, and decarbonisation investment capabilities to enable AI-related infrastructure.
Speaking at the launch of the new entity, Sheikh Tahnoun bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Ruler of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of MGX, emphasised the importance of AI for the future of economies.
"Artificial intelligence is not just an industry of the future; it underpins the future. Through this unique partnership, we will enable faster innovation, technological breakthroughs, and transformational productivity gains across the global economy. The investments we make today will secure a more sustainable, prosperous, and equitable future for all mankind," he stated.
This partnership will support an open architecture and broad ecosystem, providing full access on a non-exclusive basis for a diverse range of partners and companies, he added.
NVIDIA will support GAIIP, offering its expertise in AI data centres and AI factories to benefit the AI ecosystem. GAIIP will also engage with industry leaders to enhance AI supply chains and energy sourcing for the benefit of its customers and the industry.
Larry Fink, Chairman and CEO of BlackRock, said: "Mobilising private capital to build AI infrastructure, like data centres and power, will unlock a multi-trillion-dollar long-term investment opportunity. Data centres are the bedrock of the digital economy, and these investments will help power economic growth, create jobs, and drive AI technology innovation."
Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO of Microsoft, said: "We are committed to ensuring AI helps advance innovation and drives growth across every sector of the economy. The Global AI Infrastructure Investment Partnership will help us deliver on this vision, as we bring together financial and industry leaders to build the infrastructure of the future and power it in a sustainable way."
Brad Smith, Vice Chair and President of Microsoft, said: "The capital spending needed for AI infrastructure and the new energy to power it goes beyond what any single company or government can finance. This financial partnership will not only help advance technology, but enhance national competitiveness, security, and economic prosperity."
Ahmed Yahia Al Idrissi, the Chief Executive of MGX, said: “Building the necessary infrastructure required to advance and accelerate the adoption of AI will reshape and revitalise almost every aspect of how we live. Similar to transportation infrastructure, new data centres and power sources will enable growth and commerce in the future innovation economy."
MGX, he stated, was created in Abu Dhabi earlier this year to invest in AI and advanced technologies with global partners to enable the technology fabric of the global economy, focusing on AI infrastructure; AI-enabled technology; and semiconductors.
Today’s announcement is a major partnership within those segments, building on the emirate’s longstanding investment track record in data centres, compute capacity, and enabling infrastructure, he added.
Bayo Ogunlesi, Chairman and CEO of Global Infrastructure Partners, said: "There is a clear need to mobilise significant private capital to fund investments in essential infrastructure. One manifestation of this is the capital required to support the development of AI."
"We are highly confident that the combined capabilities of our partnership will help accelerate the pace of investments in AI-related infrastructure," he noted.
Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA, pointed out that accelerated computing and generative AI were driving a growing need for AI infrastructure for the next industrial revolution.
"NVIDIA will use its expertise as a full stack computing platform to support GAIIP and its portfolio companies on the design and integration of AI factories to propel industry innovation," he added.
-TradeArabia News Service
