KKR Secures $10B to Launch Helix Digital Infrastructure for AI Power and Data

KKR taps former AWS CEO Adam Selipsky to lead Helix Digital Infrastructure, a new $10B venture dedicated to large-scale AI data center development and power.

By: AXL Media

Published: May 2, 2026, 6:57 AM EDT

Source: Bisnow

Strategic Leadership and Operational Mandate

The new venture will be led by high-profile industry veterans, with former Amazon Web Services (AWS) CEO Adam Selipsky taking the helm. Selipsky, who currently serves as a senior adviser to KKR, brings extensive experience in hyper-scale cloud operations to the startup. Waldemar Szlezak, KKR’s global head of digital infrastructure, will serve as the chief investment officer. Helix is designed to go beyond traditional real estate by partnering with major cloud providers to design, own, and operate not only the data centers themselves but also the critical power generation and transmission infrastructure required to run energy-intensive AI workloads.

Competitive Positioning in the Data Center Arms Race

KKR’s move into Helix Digital Infrastructure intensifies the competition among private equity titans for dominance in the digital "backbone" of the economy. This new venture follows Blackstone’s recent announcement of a public vehicle dedicated to acquiring and leasing data centers. While KKR already co-owns developer CyrusOne, Helix represents a more aggressive, AI-specific strategic play. By targeting the entire value chain—from power to facility management—KKR is positioning itself to capture a larger share of the projected $7 trillion required to meet global data center demand by 2030.

The Private Equity Pivot to AI Infrastructure

The launch of Helix underscores a massive capital rotation within the private equity sector toward digital infrastructure. In 2024, private equity firms funneled over $108 billion into data center deals, with projections suggesting total investment could reach $635 billion by 2028. Analysts suggest that the transition from general-purpose cloud computing to generative AI requires a fundamental rethink of data center density and cooling, making specialized firms like Helix more attractive to institutional investors than traditional real estate investment trusts.