Volato Group, Inc. (AMEX: SOAR ), an AI software company, shares more than doubled Wednesday after signing a d efinitive agreement to merge with Alignment Engine, Inc., pivoting Volato toward AI infrastructure.
Earlier, the stock jumped 93.98% to $0.30 in premarket trading, giving Volato a market capitalization of about $8.3 million.
The rally sharply outpaced the Industrials sector’s roughly 1.2% gain, while the S&P 500 slipped 0.1%.
$500 Million Deal Targets AI Infrastructure
The definitive agreement values Alignment Engine at approximately $500 million and will reposition Volato around AI infrastructure, high-performance computing and data center development.
SOAR will remain the publicly traded parent company.
Alignment Engine operates a powered industrial campus in Ohio with 154 megawatts of power currently available and a path to 480 MW of capacity.
Trending Get a 1% Match on Your First Deposit of $1,000+The infrastructure is designed to support high-performance GPU computing, AI training and inference, advanced networking and other compute-intensive workloads.
"When we announced our move into AI infrastructure, we said we were looking for an opportunity capable of fundamentally changing the scale and direction of Volato," said Matt Liotta, Chief Executive Officer of Volato.
Merger Expected To Close Shortly
Volato and Alignment Engine expect to close the merger shortly after signing the definitive agreement, subject to applicable closing conditions.
The company said additional transaction details will be provided in filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
Volato held cash and cash equivalents of ~$8.4 million as of June 30, 2026.
Volato Expands Beyond Aviation
Volato develops AI-powered operational software for aviation businesses. Its offerings include the Parslee autonomous-work platform and the Vaunt private aviation membership marketplace.
The company also operates private aviation services, including aircraft ownership programs, charter flights, deposit products, and aircraft management.
SOAR Price Action: Volato Group shares were up 73.85% to $0.27 at the time of publication on Wednesday. The stock is near its 52-week low of $0.10, according to Benzinga Pro data .
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