Nvidia is partnering with six of the world’s largest asset managers to create a $500 billion financing push aimed at reshaping how AI infrastructure is funded globally.
The chipmaker signed memorandums of understanding with Apollo Global Management, Blackstone, BlackRock, Brookfield Asset Management, Goldman Sachs, and KKR to establish dedicated financing platforms for Nvidia customers.
Executives from all seven companies joined CNBC’s Becky Quick in a rare live joint interview to discuss the landmark announcement on Monday.
The effort aims to mobilize more than $500 billion in third-party capital for hyperscalers, frontier AI labs, and enterprises building out data centers and acquiring Nvidia hardware.
The coalition will “create dedicated pools of capital at significant scale at attractive rates for Nvidia customers,” according to the company’s statement.
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said in the CNBC interview that he personally approached only the six firms for the commitment, and that none of them turned him down.
Under the new arrangement, AI chips serve as collateral, allowing customers to borrow against institutional credit, insurance money, and private investment rather than paying upfront out of pocket.
Huang argued that compute can be an “investable asset class,” because it keeps earning and can be reused across many customers, adding: “The computer is now part of the infrastructure, like electricity, like the internet.”
The move draws in institutional investors at a moment when governments, companies, and startups are racing to build out data centers to support surging AI workloads worldwide.
Big Tech companies have signaled that spending on AI would not slow down, with combined outlays across the sector set to surpass $730 billion this year alone.
Alternative asset managers have been eager to deploy capital into digital infrastructure, with Apollo and Blackstone already having structured debt and equity financing for companies including Anthropic.
The initial financing under this new coalition is aimed at supporting Anthropic’s previously announced expansion of more than a gigawatt of compute infrastructure across its operations.
Brookfield separately announced a $100 billion global AI infrastructure program with Nvidia in November 2025, combining up to $10 billion of Brookfield equity investment with additional third-party capital.
Nvidia has in recent months been backstopping customers to help them purchase its products, lending its balance sheet to OpenAI among others, but bringing in six outside balance sheets spreads that risk considerably.
Critics have raised concerns about circular financing, a structure where a supplier funds the buyer that in turn funds the supplier, warning it can inflate demand and valuations across an entire sector.
Skeptics also worry that rapid chip obsolescence could weaken the value of AI hardware as collateral, raising the question of who absorbs losses if technology aging outpaces loan terms.
Rating agencies including Moody’s have warned that unprecedented capital expenditures are beginning to squeeze free cash flow and force tech giants into heavier debt loads.
Nvidia shares fell as much as 3.2% on Monday, trading at $219.01 in the early New York afternoon, down 2.2% on the day.
