OpenAI’s partners are carrying $96 billion in debt, highlighting growing risks around the loss-making AI company

Core Insights - The AI sector, particularly companies supplying data centers and processing power to OpenAI, has accumulated approximately $96 billion in debt to support operations, indicating a growing reliance on debt financing [1][9] - Current revenues generated by AI companies and data center operators are insufficient to cover their expansion costs, highlighting financial challenges in the sector [2] - OpenAI has committed $1.4 trillion for future energy and computing needs but anticipates only $20 billion in revenue this year, necessitating an additional $207 billion in funding by 2030 to remain operational [3] Debt Accumulation - CoreWeave reported $3.7 billion in current debt, $10.3 billion in non-current debt, and $39.1 billion in future lease agreements, with expected revenue of only $5 billion this year [4] - The five major hyperscalers—Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Oracle—have collectively taken on $121 billion in new debt this year, significantly exceeding their average annual debt issuance over the past five years [5] Market Impact - The influx of investment-grade corporate debt from tech companies is affecting credit markets, with a notable increase in debt supply observed in recent weeks [6] - The rise in debt supply is linked to debt-funded mergers and acquisitions, as well as hyperscaler activities, which have led to increased credit default swap spreads, indicating heightened perceived default risk [6][8] - Specific companies like Oracle and CoreWeave have seen significant widening in their credit default swap spreads, reflecting market concerns about their creditworthiness [7]