This week, HSBC demonstrates the first quantum-enabled algorithmic trading with IBM, OpenAI signs a $100B AI infrastructure deal with NVIDIA, and Micron posts record Q4 earnings.
In this newsletter:
- Oracle Announces Major $15 Billion Bond Sale to Fund AI and Cloud Infrastructure Expansion
- Cloudflare Introduces NET Dollar to Support a New Business Model for the AI-Driven Internet
- Cipher Mining Signs $3B, 168 MW, 10-Year AI Hosting Agreement with Fluidstack; Google Joins as Strategic Backer
- HSBC Demonstrates World's First-Known Quantum-Enabled Algorithmic Trading with IBM
- Nebius Group Price Target Raised to $206 at Northland, Named New Top Pick After Microsoft Deal
- Alibaba Stock Surges as CEO Eddie Wu Announces $53 Billion AI Spending Plan
- MU Q4 2025: Record $11.3B Revenue, EPS Beats Guidance Driven by Data Center Growth
- IonQ Achieves Significant Quantum Internet Milestone, Demonstrates Quantum Frequency Conversion to Telecom Wavelengths
- OpenAI and NVIDIA Announce $100 Billion Strategic Partnership to Build Next-Generation AI Infrastructure
- Elon Musk’s xAI Raises $10 Billion Targeting $200 Billion Valuation
Oracle Announces Major $15 Billion Bond Sale to Fund AI and Cloud Infrastructure Expansion
Oracle ($ORCL) has confirmed plans to raise $15 billion through a multi-part bond sale, marking one of the year's largest corporate debt offerings for technology firms. The proceeds will be directed toward expanding Oracle's cloud infrastructure and data centers, supporting multi-year deals with AI clients like OpenAI. The bond is expected to be issued in up to seven parts, giving investors flexibility across maturities. This debt-funded strategy reflects Oracle's aggressive push to secure a leading position in the AI and cloud market, positioning the company against rivals such as Microsoft and Amazon, but will increase Oracle's leverage and potential credit risk depending on future AI-driven revenues.
Cloudflare Introduces NET Dollar to Support a New Business Model for the AI-Driven Internet
Cloudflare (NYSE: NET) announced the launch of NET Dollar, a U.S. dollar-backed stablecoin aimed at enabling instant, secure transactions for the 'agentic web.' NET Dollar is designed for pay-per-use, microtransactions, and fractional payments, facilitating seamless payments for autonomous AI agents, developers, and creators. The initiative marks Cloudflare's expansion beyond connectivity and security into payments infrastructure, supporting new business models for the AI-powered internet and contributing to open payment standards such as x402, which streamline machine-to-machine transactions.
Cipher Mining Signs $3B, 168 MW, 10-Year AI Hosting Agreement with Fluidstack; Google Joins as Strategic Backer
Cipher Mining (NASDAQ:CIFR) announced today a landmark 10-year colocation deal with Fluidstack to deliver 168 MW of high-performance computing (HPC) capacity for AI workloads at its Barber Lake site in Texas. The agreement is valued at approximately $3 billion in contracted revenue, with extension options potentially raising total contract value to $7 billion. Google (GOOG) will backstop $1.4 billion of Fluidstack's lease obligations and acquire warrants for about 5.4% equity stake, marking a major institutional validation for Cipher's shift from crypto to AI infrastructure.
HSBC Demonstrates World's First-Known Quantum-Enabled Algorithmic Trading with IBM
HSBC announced today it has demonstrated the world's first-known empirical evidence of quantum computing delivering tangible improvements in algorithmic bond trading, using IBM’s advanced quantum processor Heron. HSBC’s trial resulted in up to a 34% improvement in predicting the probability of winning customer inquiries in the European corporate bond market compared to traditional classical computing techniques. Executives emphasized this as a groundbreaking moment, proving near-term quantum advantage for real-world financial applications, and highlighting the potential for quantum technology to offer a genuine competitive edge in bond trading as the technology advances.
Nebius Group Price Target Raised to $206 at Northland, Named New Top Pick After Microsoft Deal
On September 24, 2025, Northland analyst Nehal Chokshi raised the price target for Nebius Group (NBIS) to $206, up from $77, and named the stock the firm's new 'Top Pick'. The rating change and aggressive target follow Nebius' recent $17.4 billion deal with Microsoft to provide dedicated data center capacity, which is expected to substantially boost Nebius' annual recurring revenue and reflects the firm's strong belief in NBIS's future growth trajectory.
Alibaba Stock Surges as CEO Eddie Wu Announces $53 Billion AI Spending Plan
Alibaba Group's CEO Eddie Wu unveiled a major initiative to increase spending on artificial intelligence infrastructure, declaring a plan to invest more than 380 billion yuan (approx. $53 billion) over three years to strengthen Alibaba's position as a 'full-stack AI service provider.' This announcement, delivered at a developer conference in Hangzhou today, sent Alibaba's stock to its highest level in almost four years, as investors responded positively to the aggressive push into AI and cloud computing. Wu emphasized that AI-related products have shown triple-growth in the most recent quarter, with Alibaba's Cloud Intelligence unit now the company's fastest-growing business segment.
Micron Technology Q4 2025: Record $11.3B Revenue, EPS Beats Guidance Driven by Data Center Growth
Micron Technology delivered fiscal Q4 2025 revenue, gross margin, and EPS all above the high end of its updated guidance. Q4 non-GAAP diluted EPS reached $3.03, up 59% sequentially and 157% year-over-year, driven by strong pricing and robust performance across end markets including record revenues in the Cloud Memory Business Unit. Fiscal year revenue grew nearly 50% to a record $37.4 billion, with gross margins expanding by 17 percentage points to 41%.
IonQ Achieves Quantum Internet Milestone, Demonstrates Quantum Frequency Conversion to Telecom Wavelengths
On September 23, 2025, IonQ announced a major technological breakthrough: successful frequency conversion of photons from visible to telecom wavelengths on a prototype system, in partnership with the Air Force Research Lab. This achievement is pivotal for scalable quantum networks, enabling the transmission of quantum information over existing long-haul fiber optic infrastructure and marking a critical step toward a practical Quantum Internet. It builds on IonQ's recent delivery of a trapped-ion quantum computer with integrated photonics to AFRL and expands IonQ’s international footprint.
OpenAI and NVIDIA Announce $100 Billion Strategic Partnership to Build Next-Generation AI Infrastructure
OpenAI and NVIDIA have signed a letter of intent to form a landmark strategic partnership, under which NVIDIA will invest up to $100 billion as OpenAI deploys at least 10 gigawatts of NVIDIA systems to build next-generation datacenters for AI. The first gigawatt of NVIDIA systems, based on the upcoming Vera Rubin platform, will be deployed in the second half of 2026. This initiative aims to provide OpenAI with millions of GPUs to train and run advanced AI models, advancing toward superintelligent capabilities and expanding OpenAI's reach across enterprises and developers worldwide. The partnership will also involve close co-optimization of hardware and software roadmaps and includes Microsoft and other major tech collaborators.
This investment and infrastructure partnership mark the next leap forward — deploying 10 gigawatts to power the next era of intelligence. - Jensen Huang
Elon Musk’s xAI Raises $10 Billion Targeting $200 Billion Valuation
Elon Musk's artificial intelligence company, xAI, is reportedly in the process of raising $10 billion at a post-money valuation of $200 billion. The funding round includes participation from major investors such as Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, reflecting a significant increase from previous valuations and underscoring rapid growth expectations and investor confidence in xAI's prospects.
