OpenAI’s $300B Oracle Bet; UK’s OpenAI–Nvidia Megabuild; India’s Gigawatt ‘Stargate’ Talks; Argentina’s Retail Edge Goes Modular
Welcome to Global Data Center Hub. Join investors, operators, and innovators reading to stay ahead of the latest trends in the data center sector in developed and emerging markets globally.
If you’re not a subscriber, here’s what you’ve missed so far:
South America: The $380B AI Race From Nuclear Bets to Multi-Gigawatt Cities [12 most important shifts in the region in H1 2025 and what they signal for global AI infrastructure.]
North America: The World’s Largest AI & Data Center Buildout Surges Past $500B [In H1 2025, North America led the AI race with $500B+ in data center commitments, rewiring its energy and digital core.]
15 Mistakes That Kill Data Center Projects (and How to Avoid Them) [Most data center projects don’t fail from lack of demand. They fail from operator mistakes. Here are 15 silent killers of data center deals and how disciplined builders can avoid them.]
What H1 2025 Just Taught Us About the Next Decade of Data Centers [Strategic recap of the 15 most important shifts and what they signal about the road ahead.]
In This Issue
Weekly Intel Across Regions — A curated sweep of the most consequential AI and cloud-infrastructure moves spanning North America, Europe, APAC, MEA, and South America.
Power + Land = Advantage — U.S. power-first strategies (673MW secured in Texas) and Australia’s HVDC-aligned renewables underscore that grid access and interconnects now determine who wins capacity.
State-Aligned Compute — Prospective UK builds tied to OpenAI–Nvidia and India’s gigawatt-class plans show governments and national champions co-creating the next wave of data-center supply.
Finance Is Scaling Up — From a ~$300B cloud commitment in North America to a ~$1B securitization, capital formation is migrating from project-by-project to platform-level velocity.
Dear Friends,
This week’s tape shows control shifting upstream: OpenAI’s ~$300B/5-year Oracle commitment, DataBank’s ~$1B securitization, and Texas’s 673MW power-first moves signal that megawatts, interconnects, and financing now set the pace.
In Europe, prospective UK investments tied to OpenAI–Nvidia, Microsoft’s land and capacity expansion in the Netherlands and Spain, and TikTok’s Finland residency build reinforce a simple filter: energy certainty and policy clarity determine where clusters land.
Across Asia–Pacific, India’s gigawatt-class talks, China’s ~$4B portfolio transfer, and SunCable’s AI-driven HVDC thesis show supply chains reorganizing around AI-grade power. East Africa adds on-ramps as Airtel breaks ground at Tatu City.
The takeaway is crisp: yesterday’s headline wins are today’s baseline. Those who lock power, land, and connectivity early, before demand hardens, will define the next wave of AI capacity.
Global Perspective: What’s Happening in Data Centers Around the World
North America
OpenAI Locks $300B, 5-Year Cloud Deal with Oracle
OpenAI reportedly signed a ~$300B agreement to buy Oracle compute over ~5 years (starting 2027). If realized, it’s the largest cloud commitment on record and implies multi-GW new capacity, reshaping where (and how) AI clusters get built and financed in the U.S. (and beyond).
Debt Gets Cheaper: DataBank Lines Up ~$1B Securitization
DataBank’s ABS raise against three stabilized U.S. facilities lowers cost of capital and frees balance sheet for AI-grade power and cooling upgrades another proof point that private DC credit markets are maturing beyond hyperscalers. Watch tranche terms, DSCR, and tenant concentration.
Texas Arms Up: Titus Secures 673MW for New DC Projects
Titus securing generation ahead of announcements underscores the ERCOT playbook: bank power first, build later. With transformer and queue scarcity, developers that pre-package MW with land and interconnects will control the development funnel.
Europe
Sovereign Compute Moves: OpenAI & Nvidia Tip UK Investments
Anticipated multi-billion commitments would harden the UK’s “AI Growth Zone” thesis and catalyze long-dated power deals (nuclear, HVDC) to stabilize supply for training-scale clusters. It also tightens Europe’s GPU and advanced cooling supply chains.
Microsoft Doubles Down in the Low Countries
From a 50-hectare Dutch land buy to expansions in Spain, Microsoft is fortifying EU capacity near major IXPs and subsea nodes. Expect zoning, water, and energy contracts to determine which metros capture the next AI builds.
Data Residency Gets Real: TikTok Activates Finland Footprint
TikTok’s new EU data build in Finland underscores how regulatory pressure is reshaping where and how platforms store and process user data. Look for more Nordic capacity as firms chase cool climates, renewables, and political certainty.
Asia–Pacific
India’s Gigawatt Gambit: Reliance in Talks on “Stargate”-Class Compute
OpenAI’s discussions to anchor in India via Reliance would mark a decisive shift of frontier AI capacity to the subcontinent, pulling supply chains for transformers, switchgear, and liquid cooling into Mumbai/MMR and Chennai corridors. Sovereign incentives will be the swing factor.
China Resets Ownership: Bain Sells DC Portfolio to HEC (~$4B)
A marquee portfolio sale signals local consolidation in China’s cloud/AI footprint amid shifting capital markets and export-control realities. Onshore owners may unlock faster capex cycles and approvals.
SunCable’s Mega-Renewables Now Aim at AI Loads
Positioning multi-GW solar + HVDC for data centers reframes Australia not just as a power exporter but as a compute exporter. The economics hinge on storage sizing, 24/7 matching, and delivered LCOE to APAC AI campuses.
Middle East & Africa
East Africa Builds: Airtel Breaks Ground at Tatu City
Airtel’s Nairobi-area hub advances regional cloud on-ramps and content localization, leveraging Kenya’s improving grid and fiber backbones. Expect knock-on effects across the Northern Corridor and into land-linked markets.
South America
Edge in Retail: Argentina’s Coto Unveils Modular Data Center
A major retailer launching a modular facility highlights how edge and private cloud are diffusing beyond tech driven by payments, inventory AI, and analytics at store proximity. It’s a template for enterprise-led micro-campuses.
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Every week, we break down the trends shaping the future of data centers, cloud, and AI, from emerging markets to hyperscale battlegrounds.
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