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Exclusive: Crusoe’s ‘Neocloud’ to Buy $400 Million in AMD AI Chips for Data Centers

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Crusoe, an artificial intelligence-focused cloud computing startup, revealed plans to purchase approximately $400 million worth of AI chips from Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) to power its AI data centers. CEO Chase Lochmiller told Reuters that Crusoe intends to acquire around 13,000 AMD MI355X chips for a new data center cluster in the U.S., which is expected to become operational this fall.

The data center will employ liquid cooling technology and be designed specifically to house AI chips, offering higher performance compared to older infrastructure. Crusoe will rent access to this facility, which can be partitioned among multiple clients or used entirely by a single customer.

Lochmiller emphasized Crusoe’s agility as a smaller startup, competing with larger hyperscalers by leveraging speed, nimbleness, and concentrated engineering talent.

AMD’s MI355X chips, featuring high-bandwidth memory, are optimized for AI inference tasks, providing an alternative to Nvidia’s dominant hardware in the AI chip market. While many AI cloud services rely on Nvidia chips, AMD is positioning itself to capture a share by partnering with companies like Crusoe.

Lochmiller described this approach as a validation of the “neocloud” strategy — specialized cloud infrastructure platforms tailored for AI workloads that add significant value to the AI ecosystem by supporting large-scale users.

Crusoe Secures $11.6 Billion to Expand Texas AI Data Center, Supporting OpenAI Infrastructure

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AI infrastructure startup Crusoe has raised an additional $11.6 billion to significantly expand its upcoming data center in Abilene, Texas, marking one of the largest funding rounds in the emerging “neocloud” space. The new capital brings the total raised for the project to $15 billion and will allow Crusoe to expand the facility from two to eight buildings, the company confirmed on Wednesday.

Founded in 2018 as a crypto-focused firm, Crusoe has since pivoted to become a specialized cloud provider for AI workloads, part of a new wave of “neoclouds” that offer tailored infrastructure beyond the traditional giants like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud.

Crusoe has been contracted by Oracle to construct the first data center for Stargate — a major AI infrastructure initiative backed by OpenAI, SoftBank, and Oracle, with a planned $500 billion investment in global AI infrastructure. According to The Wall Street Journal, the Abilene facility is set to become OpenAI’s largest data center.

“Our customer is Oracle. OpenAI is Oracle’s customer,” Crusoe clarified in a statement, emphasizing its indirect yet vital role in supporting the ChatGPT creator’s infrastructure needs.

The project is seen as part of OpenAI’s long-term goal to reduce reliance on Microsoft, its current primary cloud provider.

Key Details:

  • Location: Abilene, Texas

  • Total Buildings: 8 (up from 2)

  • AI Chips: Each building will house up to 50,000 Nvidia Blackwell systems

  • Sponsors: Crusoe, Blue Owl’s Real Assets platform, and Primary Digital Infrastructure

The facility will support intensive generative AI workloads, crucial for OpenAI’s future model development and deployment.

The explosive growth in demand for AI compute capacity has fueled an investment boom in data centers powered by specialized chips like Nvidia’s Blackwell series — a market Crusoe is aggressively entering.

Neither OpenAI nor Nvidia responded to requests for comment at the time of publication.