Nvidia Invests $3 Billion in Power Provider Lancium Behind OpenAI's 'Stargate'
- Nvidia plans to invest up to $3 billion in Lancium, a power infrastructure developer backed by Blackstone.
- The initial investment of $2 billion will give Nvidia approximately a 20% equity stake in Lancium.
- If an additional $1 billion is invested after certain milestones, Nvidia's ownership could rise to about 30%.
- Lancium is the power provider for the 'Stargate' AI campus being developed by OpenAI and Oracle in Texas.
- Texas Governor Greg Abbott has ordered a suspension of new data center grid connection applications, adding uncertainty to Lancium's expansion timeline.
Nvidia is extending its reach into AI infrastructure by investing up to $3 billion in Lancium, a power infrastructure developer backed by Blackstone. The investment aims to secure several gigawatts of power resources to support data center projects for Nvidia's chip customers.
The initial investment of $2 billion will provide Nvidia with a 20% equity stake in Lancium, with the potential to increase to about 30% if an additional $1 billion is invested after meeting specific power-access milestones. This deal values Lancium at approximately $10 billion, including debt.
Lancium is responsible for providing power to the 'Stargate' AI campus being developed by OpenAI and Oracle in Abilene, Texas. The company has secured 4 gigawatts of power on the Texas grid, with 15 additional gigawatts awaiting grid connection approval. However, recent policy changes by Texas Governor Greg Abbott may impact Lancium's expansion plans.
Nvidia's investment is part of a broader strategy to transition from a chip vendor to a key investor in the AI infrastructure ecosystem, following a significant increase in investments in private companies and infrastructure funds in recent quarters.
英伟达向OpenAI的“星际之门”背后的电力供应商Lancium投资30亿美元
英伟达正通过向电力基础设施开发商Lancium投资最多30亿美元，扩大其在AI基础设施领域的影响力。此次投资旨在确保数吉瓦的电力资源，以支持英伟达芯片客户的数据中心项目。
首笔20亿美元的投资将使英伟达在Lancium中获得20%的股权，如果在达到特定电力接入里程碑后再投资10亿美元，持股比例可能升至约30%。该交易使Lancium的企业价值约为100亿美元，包括债务。
Lancium负责为OpenAI和Oracle在德克萨斯州阿比林开发的“星际之门”AI校园提供电力。该公司已在德克萨斯电网锁定了4吉瓦的电力资源，另外15吉瓦的项目正在等待电网连接批准。然而，德克萨斯州州长格雷格·阿博特最近的政策变化可能会影响Lancium的扩展计划。
英伟达的投资是其从芯片供应商转型为AI基础设施生态系统关键投资者的更广泛战略的一部分，最近几个季度在私人公司和基础设施基金的投资显著增加。