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Nebius Signs $17.4 Billion AI Infrastructure Deal With Microsoft

Nebius Group (NBIS.O) announced on Monday a five-year agreement with Microsoft (MSFT.O) to provide GPU infrastructure capacity, a deal valued at $17.4 billion that could expand to $19.4 billion if additional services are acquired. The news sent Nebius shares surging more than 47% in after-hours trading.

The partnership highlights the escalating demand for high-performance AI compute as tech giants race to secure infrastructure for training and running advanced models. Under the deal, Microsoft will gain access to Nebius’ dedicated GPU infrastructure from a new Vineland, New Jersey data center starting later this year.

Nebius specializes in offering AI cloud services powered by Nvidia GPUs, combining computing, storage, management tools, and in-house designed hardware to support AI developers. CEO Arkady Volozh said the deal is not only financially significant but also positions Nebius for accelerated AI cloud growth from 2026 onwards.

Microsoft already stands as the largest customer of CoreWeave (CRWV.O), another AI infrastructure provider. The Nebius agreement suggests the company is broadening its supply chain to mitigate risks as hyperscaler demand grows.

Amsterdam-based Nebius was formed after the split of Russian tech giant Yandex, and has been expanding rapidly into the U.S. and European AI infrastructure markets.

Fermi Files for U.S. IPO Amid AI-Driven Data Center Boom

Fermi, a Texas-based data center developer co-founded by former U.S. Energy Secretary Rick Perry, has filed for a U.S. initial public offering (IPO), joining a growing wave of companies tapping investor demand for new listings. The filing comes as Wall Street’s IPO market rebounds strongly post-Labor Day.

Fermi plans to build the world’s largest energy and data complex, integrating nuclear, natural gas, and solar power to meet surging energy needs from artificial intelligence. This marks one of the first major nuclear-backed investments since President Donald Trump’s May executive orders to accelerate nuclear licensing and boost U.S. capacity from 100 GW to 400 GW by 2050.

The company, still pre-revenue just nine months after its founding, closed a $100 million round in August, led by Macquarie Group. It projects rapid market expansion, citing forecasts that the global generative AI sector will grow from $64B in 2023 to $457B by 2027 (Bloomberg Intelligence).

Fermi has applied to list on the Nasdaq under the ticker FRMI and also intends to pursue a London Stock Exchange listing. UBS Investment Bank, Cantor, and Mizuho are acting as bookrunners for the deal.

The IPO comes alongside other high-profile listings this week, including StubHub and Netskope, both launching roadshows to raise hundreds of millions.

OpenAI’s Cash Burn Projected to Hit $115B by 2029 Amid Chip, Data Center Push

OpenAI has revised its financial outlook sharply upward, projecting it will burn through $115 billion by 2029, according to The Information. The new figure is about $80 billion higher than its earlier estimate, reflecting the surging costs of powering ChatGPT and other AI models.

The report says OpenAI expects to lose over $8 billion in 2024 alone, roughly $1.5 billion more than forecast earlier this year. The company anticipates that annual burn will balloon to $17 billion next year, rising to $35 billion in 2027 and $45 billion in 2028.

To rein in costs, OpenAI is pursuing vertical integration—developing its own AI server chips and data center infrastructure. Its first in-house chip, being developed in partnership with Broadcom, is expected in 2025 and will be used internally. On the infrastructure side, OpenAI has struck major agreements, including:

  • A $4.5 GW data center expansion with Oracle announced in July.

  • The Stargate project, a planned $500 billion, 10 GW buildout backed by SoftBank.

  • Expanded computing capacity through Google Cloud.

The staggering burn rate underscores the immense capital intensity of generative AI, where costs for cloud computing, GPUs, and electricity are skyrocketing. At the same time, it highlights OpenAI’s strategy to reduce reliance on external providers like Nvidia and Amazon Web Services by building a proprietary AI stack—from chips to data centers.