Ares Management Corp. is exploring the acquisition of a minority stake in Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners (CIP), according to a Bloomberg report. The discussions are ongoing, and there is no assurance an agreement will be reached.
Los Angeles-based Ares oversees approximately $671 billion in assets under management and reported a record fundraising quarter in July. A successful deal would expand Ares's presence in Europe, a region where energy demand has surged alongside the growth of artificial intelligence infrastructure and broader industrialization.
CIP was founded in 2012 by Jakob Baruel Poulsen and three partners who departed from Ørsted A/S's offshore wind division. The company is majority-owned by its founders, with Danish wind turbine manufacturer Vestas Wind Systems A/S holding a 25% stake acquired in 2020.
CIP manages roughly €43 billion, equivalent to about $49.4 billion, across 15 funds. Its global portfolio includes the United States' first commercial-scale offshore wind farm, utility-scale wind developments in Spain, and offshore wind pipelines in Ireland, Taiwan, and California.
The potential transaction reflects a wider trend among major alternative asset managers seeking greater exposure to real assets as institutional investors consolidate capital with fewer managers. Infrastructure investments such as offshore wind farms, fiber-optic networks, and toll roads typically operate on long-term, inflation-linked leases and contracts, providing steady return distributions and a hedge against market volatility.
