BlackRock’s New Bets Stick Firm in Middle of AI, Energy Fray

BlackRock Inc., the world’s largest money manager with more than $12.5 trillion in client assets, is expanding its empire to stake a bigger claim in the artificial-intelligence boom and the energy markets fueling it.

BlackRock’s Global Infrastructure Partners division is nearing a deal to buy Aligned Data Centers in one of the year’s biggest transactions. That comes as GIP also worked to secure approval from Minnesota regulators to take private Allete Inc., a state utility that could serve a growing market for data centers.