Volato Group, Inc. has agreed to merge with Alignment Engine, Inc. in a transaction valuing Alignment Engine at approximately $500 million. The merger will reposition Volato, currently listed on the NYSE American under ticker SOAR, as a company centered on AI infrastructure, high-performance computing, and data center development through Alignment Engine’s industrial campus in Ohio.
The merger is expected to close shortly after the definitive agreement is executed, pending standard closing conditions. While stockholder approval is not required for the closing, a subsequent meeting will be held to convert convertible preferred stock issued to Alignment Engine’s shareholders into Volato Class A common stock.
Alignment Engine’s Ohio campus currently provides 154 megawatts of available power, with plans to expand total capacity to 480 megawatts. The infrastructure is designed to support high-performance GPU computing, AI training, inference, and compute-intensive workloads. The company combines powered data center infrastructure, advanced compute resources, high-performance networking, and proprietary technology, and is headquartered in Ohio.
Volato Group operates as an AI software company focused on building operational systems for aviation businesses. Alignment Engine specializes in AI infrastructure. The deal follows Volato’s strategic pivot into AI infrastructure, as highlighted by CEO Matt Liotta, who stated, 'When we announced our move into AI infrastructure, we were looking for an opportunity capable of fundamentally changing the scale and direction of Volato.'
Alignment Engine CEO Chris Ensey added, 'We aren't starting with a greenfield site and a plan to find power. We have a powered industrial campus and 154MW available today with a path to 480MW of capacity.'
