Nebius (NBIS) announced Wednesday morning a new asset-light strategy that allows outside partners to build and own data centers supporting its AI cloud platform. The Nvidia-backed company said the model enables it to expand computing capacity without funding the construction of new facilities itself. NBIS stock rose more than 3% in morning trade after falling nearly 8% on Tuesday to under $200. The company will provide hardware architecture, software platform, and customers while partners own and operate the physical infrastructure. The move addresses industry-wide demand outrunning supply in AI infrastructure capacity.
Nebius Provides Architecture and Customers Under New Partnership Model
Under the new model, Nebius will no longer finance and own every data center itself. The company is inviting third-party partners to build and own the physical facilities, including data center operators, regional investors, and anyone with capacity or capital.
Nebius said it will supply the system architecture, hardware design, software stack, and the customers. It will sell the resulting capacity through its own global sales team.
CEO Arkady Volozh said in a statement that the software allows partners to reach a much wider customer base with much better margins than conventional wholesale bare-metal contracts.
Nebius said it has already signed some initial deals under the new structure and expects a mix of revenue-sharing agreements, licensing fees, commissions, and committed-capacity contracts.
Microsoft and Meta Contracts Total $46.4 Billion in Commitments
Nebius has a five-year deal worth up to $19.4 billion with Microsoft, giving the tech giant dedicated GPU capacity that includes more than 100,000 Nvidia GB300 chips.
The company also signed a $3 billion contract with Meta for five years in December. The contract was later expanded to $27 billion in total commitments, including $12 billion of dedicated capacity.
NBIS Stock Gains 3% Wednesday After Falling Below $200
NBIS stock rose more than 3% Wednesday morning following the asset-light strategy announcement. The stock fell nearly 8% on Tuesday to under $200.
The stock reached a 52-week high near $299 in June. NBIS is clocking over 123% in gains for the year.
FAQ
What is Nebius's new asset-light data center strategy?
Nebius announced Wednesday morning that it will allow outside partners to build and own data centers supporting its AI cloud platform. The company will provide hardware architecture, software platform, and customers while partners own and operate the physical infrastructure. This model enables Nebius to expand computing capacity without funding construction itself.
How much are Nebius's contracts with Microsoft and Meta worth?
Nebius has a five-year deal worth up to $19.4 billion with Microsoft that includes more than 100,000 Nvidia GB300 chips. The company's contract with Meta was expanded from $3 billion to $27 billion in total commitments, including $12 billion of dedicated capacity.
