News linked to both this project and an event.
According to TechFlow Research, a Bank of America research report on August 10 pointed out that NVIDIA signed a memorandum of understanding with Apollo, BlackRock, Blackstone, Brookfield, Goldman Sachs, and KKR to mobilize over $500 billion in third-party capital through an independent platform. Previously, NVIDIA invested approximately $70 billion in equity in ecosystem partners such as OpenAI and Anthropic, accounting for only 15% of the expected free cash flow of $470 billion from 2026 to 2027, without affecting the commitment to return 50% of free cash flow to shareholders. Bank of America believes the financing structure shifts the capital burden from NVIDIA to the consortium. GPU computing power can be transferred across operators, and CUDA extends the service life, with the asset quality itself resisting depreciation. The $500 billion fund pool allows non-investment grade buyers to acquire GPUs at preferential rates, transforming AI computing power acquisition from capital-intensive purchases to financial leasing, supporting the $1.7 trillion AI system TAM by 2030. Bank of America maintains a Buy rating with a target price of $350, corresponding to 26 times the expected earnings per share in 2027. The upcoming earnings conference call is the next important catalyst.
NVIDIA announced partnerships with Apollo, BlackRock, Blackstone, Brookfield, Goldman Sachs, and KKR to establish an independent financing platform. The platform aims to mobilize over $500 billion in third-party capital over the long term to support AI infrastructure development.
Odaily News Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang announced that the company has partnered with Apollo, BlackRock, Blackstone, Brookfield, Goldman Sachs, and KKR to establish an independent financing platform, planning to mobilize over $500 billion in third-party capital over the long term to support AI infrastructure development.Huang stated that the AI industry is transitioning from a phase where "enterprises purchase chips and build data centers project by project" to a new stage where AI factories serve as financeable productive infrastructure. AI computing power is becoming an investable asset, characterized by long-term institutional capital support, repeatable construction, and usage by diverse customers.Nvidia noted that AI factories encompass not only GPUs but also high-speed networking, system software, AI frameworks, and the CUDA ecosystem. Built on globally widely adopted architectures, AI factories can serve different customers, cloud providers, and application scenarios, while possessing strong asset liquidity and residual value.In this collaboration, Apollo, BlackRock, Blackstone, Brookfield, Goldman Sachs, and KKR will independently evaluate specific projects, including customer demand, compute utilization, cash flow, and asset value. Nvidia will provide the AI factory platform, while the financial institutions will handle long-term capital and financing capabilities.Huang indicated that in some projects, Nvidia may provide up to 25% residual value support, but this will be prudently assessed on a project-by-project basis. The mechanism is designed to supplement, not replace, the independent judgment of institutional investors.He believes that AI factories will become the "infrastructure of the intelligent era," much like how electricity, transportation, and communication infrastructure drove past industrial revolutions. Going forward, growing demand for AI computing will create a virtuous cycle where "more compute drives stronger AI, stronger AI generates more revenue, and more revenue further fuels compute demand."
According to CNBC, Nvidia has signed a memorandum of understanding with Apollo Global Management, Blackstone, BlackRock, Brookfield Asset Management, Goldman Sachs, and KKR to jointly establish a financing platform for Nvidia customers, aiming to mobilize over $500 billion in third-party capital for hyperscale data center construction and Nvidia hardware procurement. Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang characterized this as the first time AI chips have become an "investable asset class," stating they possess revenue-generating capabilities, long service lives, and can be transferred across customers, while analogizing compute infrastructure to electricity and the internet. BlackRock CEO Larry Fink defined the project as the "next future of financial engineering" following the securitization of mortgages in the 1970s, and stated that more funds would be raised as soon as possible. Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon revealed that this collaboration was initiated by Jensen Huang. Currently, some funds have already been raised; the parties will provide financing support for GPUs and data centers through institutional credit, insurance capital, and private capital, helping end users complete AI infrastructure construction without tapping their own balance sheets.
According to Bloomberg, SoftBank Group (SoftBank) has successfully secured a $10 billion margin loan by pledging its OpenAI shares as collateral. The loan has a two-year term, and lenders include Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Mizuho Securities, Apollo Global Funding, and SMBC. SoftBank plans to complete the drawdown this month.
According to Fortune magazine, Bridgewater Associates founder Ray Dalio issued his strongest market warning to date on the "CEO Diary" program, explicitly stating that the current market bubble driven by the AI boom has exhibited "classic characteristics" highly similar to those on the eve of the 1929 Great Depression and the 2000 internet bubble. He directly expressed agreement with the assessment made by Jeremy Grantham, co-founder of GMO and a previous guest on the same program, who called it "the largest investment bubble in American history." Dalio pointed out that the core crisis of the bubble lies in the "confusion between wealth and money"—the paper wealth held by investors cannot be directly consumed. Once the market reverses and everyone sells off simultaneously, asset prices could plummet from $100 to $25, while debt remains not a penny less. He also identified two trigger factors for "bursting the bubble": rising interest rates and a surge in stock issuances. Currently, SpaceX has completed the largest IPO in history, and Anthropic and OpenAI are rushing to list with trillion-dollar valuations, which is precisely the real-world manifestation of the latter. In terms of bubble judgments, Wall Street institutions such as Goldman Sachs, Apollo, and BCA Research are also shifting stance, acknowledging that there is an "earnings bubble" in the technology sector rather than a simple valuation bubble. Dalio places this round of risk within his "Big Cycle" framework, warning that the bubble bursting is not only a financial event but could also become a trigger for political polarization and geopolitical conflicts—at that time, the real risk may not be portfolio losses, but rather with
According to Yonhap News Agency, Google, in order to expand the market penetration of its self-developed AI chip TPU, partnered with institutions such as Broadcom, Apollo, and Blackstone to build an infrastructure finance network with a total scale of approximately $200 billion (approximately 286 trillion Korean won), considered one of the largest projects in the history of infrastructure financing. It is reported that Google signed a TPU supply agreement with Anthropic and funded the construction of data centers to lease to the latter; to diversify the risk of direct ownership, the parties jointly established a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) "Compute", which completed the procurement of the first batch of 1 million TPU hardware units for $35 billion last month, with funds jointly provided by Apollo and Blackstone, and Broadcom providing a residual value guarantee. In addition, Google also brought in crypto mining companies such as TerraWolf, Cipher Digital, and Hut 8 to transition to constructing data centers and be responsible for power assurance.
According to Fortune, DeFi asset management and risk analysis company Gauntlet completed a $125 million financing round, exclusively invested by Japanese financial group SBI Holdings. The financing was completed in June this year, and the specific valuation was not disclosed. This is Gauntlet's largest financing round since its establishment in 2018, far exceeding its $24 million Series B round in 2022 led by Ribbit Capital at a $1 billion valuation. Gauntlet was founded by former Wall Street quantitative trader Tarun Chitra. It initially focused on providing stress testing and vulnerability analysis services for DeFi protocols. Later, as the DAO governance model waned, it gradually transitioned to a "treasury curation" business—assessing yield strategy risks through quantitative analysis to help institutional investors manage digital asset allocation. Currently, its clients include asset management giant Apollo, Coinbase, and stablecoin issuer Circle.
Apollo Chief Economist Torsten Slok issued a risk warning, stating that major AI companies are heavily borrowing for industrial expansion, with the total scale of related bond issuance estimated to reach $700 billion. This massive new supply is diverting market funds, creating a significant crowding-out effect on U.S. Treasuries and other credit products.Torsten Slok stated that if the scale of debt financing for AI infrastructure continues to expand, the overall capital allocation logic in the bond market will undergo a restructuring, persistently suppressing demand for U.S. Treasuries while exerting medium- to long-term pressure on the liquidity of the entire credit market.
According to Protos, Goldfinch—a decentralized lending protocol backed by a16z and originally designed to serve Africa’s unbanked population—is now in deep crisis. On-chain data shows that out of the project’s eight borrowers, two have formally defaulted and six have entered debt restructuring, resulting in cumulative losses exceeding $18 million. Depositors lament that their $50 million investment has “gone down the drain.” Its native token, GFI, has plummeted from its January 2022 high of $32.94 to under $0.07—a 99.8% decline—and the project’s market cap has shrunk from a peak of $390 million to less than $6 million. Goldfinch previously extended over $100 million in loans to borrowers across 18 countries—including a Kenyan motorcycle rental company and a Nigerian salary-advance platform—but its core problem lies in the severe lack of off-chain credit assessment. Borrowers frequently misappropriated funds and refused to repay. As default rates climbed, the project quietly abandoned its original focus on African emerging markets and pivoted toward institutional credit funds such as Ares and Apollo—effectively rendering its original inclusive finance vision hollow.
Broadcom has announced supporting Anthropic's computing project alongside Apollo and Blackstone. The move is seen as an indirect strategy to stimulate demand for chips. While the transaction is ostensibly an AI computing infrastructure financing arrangement, industry insiders believe the deeper goal is to boost long-term demand for Broadcom's custom AI chips by promoting large-scale AI computing deployments. Such AI computing projects involving private equity capital are emerging as a new financing model connecting chip designers, AI model companies, and data center capital. However, they also carry uncertainties regarding demand forecasts and capital returns. (The Information)
According to CoinDesk, Digital Asset, the blockchain developer behind Canton Network, has announced a $355 million funding round led by a16z crypto, with participation from global institutions including ABN Amro, Apollo Funds, BNP Paribas, Citadel Securities, HSBC, SBI Group, and a subsidiary of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority. The round exceeded its original target of $300 million, valuing the company at $2 billion. Canton Network is designed specifically for large financial institutions and enables the issuance and trading of tokenized real-world assets—such as bonds, loans, and funds—on a shared ledger, while maintaining privacy and meeting regulatory compliance requirements. In addition to financial support, a16z crypto will provide specialized assistance in development, policy, and research.
According to Odaily, Digital Asset, the developer of the Canton network, has announced the completion of a $355 million equity funding round, led by a16z crypto. Participating investors include subsidiaries of the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, Apollo Funds, BNP Paribas, Citadel Securities, CME Ventures, Coinbase Ventures, HSBC, S&P Global, SBI Group, SoFi, Tradeweb, and others. The project's primary business is developing the Canton blockchain network designed for institutions. The funds will be used to accelerate partnerships with institutional players, pursue mergers and acquisitions, and participate in related projects. (The Block)
DeFi lending protocol Morpho has announced the completion of a $175 million funding round, led by a16z Crypto, Paradigm, and Ribbit Capital, with participation from Apollo Funds, Circle Ventures, VanEck, and other institutions.The report states that this funding round was priced based on the average price of Morpho tokens over the past month, corresponding to a valuation of approximately $2 billion for the protocol. Morpho allows institutions to customize lending markets and risk parameters on-chain and has already attracted adoption by institutions such as Coinbase, Kraken, Anchorage Digital, and Galaxy Digital.Data shows that Morpho's current Total Value Locked (TVL) is approximately $6.6 billion. The company stated that it will continue to expand its institutional-grade DeFi lending business and strengthen competition with lending protocols like Aave. (Fortune)
According to Bloomberg, Apollo Global Management and Blackstone Group have finalized a total $35 billion financing arrangement for Anthropic to support its expansion of AI infrastructure.
private equity giants Apollo Global Management and Blackstone Group are bringing in more investors for a debt financing deal worth approximately $36 billion to help Anthropic build its artificial intelligence infrastructure.According to insiders, this debt financing will be used to purchase Google's custom TPU (Tensor Processing Unit) chips, which will then be leased by Anthropic. Broadcom, which assisted Google in developing the chip, will provide guarantees for the majority of this deal. This move is expected to become one of the largest private credit transactions in history and potentially the biggest debt financing deal for chips to date. The plan aims to leverage Broadcom's credit standing to provide computing power support for Anthropic.
Odaily. Bernstein stated in its latest research report that the newly reached compromise on stablecoin yields under the U.S. CLARITY Act is structurally beneficial for Circle and the USDC ecosystem.The report notes that the current version of the bill prohibits stablecoin issuers from paying interest to passive holders that is "economically equivalent" to bank deposits, but allows reward mechanisms tied to actual transaction, payment, and usage activities to continue. Bernstein believes this means Circle's current model, which relies on partners like Coinbase to provide USDC reward programs, will gain regulatory recognition, while also limiting the industry's ability to compete for market share through high yields.Bernstein points out that the bill effectively reinforces the positioning of stablecoins as "payment tools" rather than "deposit substitutes," helping to protect Circle's current business model that relies on reserve income. The firm maintains an "Outperform" rating for Circle with a $190 target price.Data shows that the total global supply of dollar-pegged stablecoins has surpassed $300 billion, with USDT and USDC collectively accounting for approximately 97% of the market share. Bernstein notes that USDC's share in on-chain payments and wallet transfers is steadily increasing, and its share of payments in the AI Agent payment protocol x402 has exceeded 99%.Additionally, Bernstein mentioned that Circle's ARC chain has cumulatively completed 244 million testnet transactions. The ARC token pre-sale previously raised $222 million, with investors including a16z crypto, Apollo Funds, ARK Invest, and BlackRock.However, the report also points out that the CLARITY Act still needs to complete multiple legislative procedures before it takes effect, including a 60-vote threshold in the full Senate and coordination with the House version. Polymarket currently estimates its probability of passage by 2026 at approximately 62%. (The Block)
According to @cryptounfolded, Circle has completed the Arc token presale, raising $222 million with a fully diluted valuation of $3 billion. The round was led by a16z, with participation from major institutions including BlackRock and Apollo. Arc is positioned as a public blockchain for institutional contracts, governance, and AI agents, using USDC as its underlying settlement currency. Circle will receive 25% of the tokens for validator rewards.
Odaily News Securitize announced the appointment of investor, Blackstone advisor, and former International Monetary Fund (IMF) board member Sunil Sabharwal to its board. Sunil Sabharwal served as the U.S. representative to the IMF, confirmed by the U.S. Senate, from 2016 to 2018, for which he received the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Distinguished Service Award. He currently serves on the boards of Thunes and TookiTaki, and previously served as Chairman of payment companies Earthport and Ogone, which were acquired by Visa and Ingenico, respectively. Since 2021, he has served as an advisor and operating partner for the Blackstone Growth Equity Fund.Securitize currently manages over $4 billion in on-chain assets, including the BlackRock BUIDL Fund and tokenized products from institutions such as Apollo, BNY, Hamilton Lane, KKR, and VanEck. The company reached an acquisition agreement with a Cantor Fitzgerald affiliate last October, valuing Securitize at $1 billion. The merged company is set to list on Nasdaq under the ticker symbol CEPT.
According to Bloomberg, chip startup SiFive has raised $400 million in funding, led by Atreides Management, with participation from Nvidia, Apollo Global Management, and Point72. Following this round, SiFive’s valuation stands at $3.65 billion. SiFive stated that the funds will be used to expand its market share in the AI data center sector. This round was oversubscribed, with investment commitments exceeding the final amount raised.