> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.sotkn.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # AIB says Nebius prepayments fund its $800M, 50 MW data center build - URL: https://www.sotkn.com/wire/aib-nebius-prepayment-800m-50-mw-data-center-wire/ - Published: 2026-10-11T05:58:39.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-11T05:58:39.000Z - Description: Nebius is paying for a data center before it exists. AIB says prepayments on a 12-year, 50 MW contract cover its equity in an $800 million build, with about $560 million of debt still to sign and rent from around late 2027. - Author: Sean - Tags: #desk-wire `WIRE` · `NEOCLOUDS` · `US` · Data as at 10 Oct 2026 Nebius is paying for a data center before it exists. AIB Data Centers, the former BlockchAIn Digital Infrastructure, said on an investor call reported on **8 October 2026** that prepayments from Nebius under a firm **12-year** contract for **50 MW** will cover its own equity in an **$800 million** build at its CLT1 site in South Carolina. The rest comes from about **$560 million** of construction debt and **$140 million** of preferred equity that are not yet signed. On the [neocloud model](https://www.sotkn.com/stack/neoclouds/), this is the build step being paid for by the tenant: Nebius funds the hall now, and rent only starts when the first hall is handed over, which AIB places around the **fourth quarter of 2027**. ## What happened 30 September **AIB signs a binding deal with Nebius for 50 MW of critical IT capacity, with two optional five-year renewals** Backed by a 15-year utility agreement for 65 MW signed in May. Delivery in two 25 MW halls 7 October **CEO letter: no new common shares needed to build CLT1** A Texas acquisition lifts AIB's contracted utility power from 65 MW to about 120 MW 8 October **Investor call puts numbers on it: $800 million budget, about $12 million per MW of utility load** First 25 MW hall about 10 months after escrow funds arrive, second about 14 months. Utility costs passed through to Nebius --- ## Why cash cares A neocloud like Nebius earns money when customers rent its GPUs. To do that it needs halls with power, and power-ready halls are the scarce part. Here Nebius is not just signing a lease. It is putting cash in escrow up front so a small developer can place equipment orders and start building straight away. Nebius said time-to-power is the binding constraint on AI infrastructure, and this is what paying for it looks like. That cash is described as advance rent. AIB says the prepayment is larger than the roughly **$100 million** of equity it would otherwise have to put in. The bank debt, about 70% of the budget, and the preferred equity still have to be raised at the project level. The preferred investors would get a return in the low teens plus a 10% to 20% share of the project, according to the CEO. AIB did not give the contract value. It said its rate is above the range of three comparable deals, **$1.87 million to $2.16 million per MW of IT load per year**. Our arithmetic, not an AIB figure: above that range, 50 MW earns more than about **$108 million a year**, or more than **$1.3 billion** over the 12-year term. ![Prepaid build clock: AIB's $800 million CLT1 funding stack and hall timeline for Nebius](https://storage.ghost.io/c/cd/10/cd10e222-131f-4ba4-b4a9-ca4214e8c12d/content/images/2026/10/prepaid-build-clock-print.png) **Figure: Prepaid build clock.** Who funds the $800 million, and when each 25 MW hall is due. Rent starts with the first hall, which AIB places around the fourth quarter of 2027. ## The second-order read **Who gets paid.** The builders and equipment suppliers, first. The prepayment is meant to pay purchase orders right away. Lenders follow with interest on about $560 million of construction debt, and the utility is paid through a pass-through to Nebius. **Who waits.** AIB's common shareholders. Cash from operations starts only when the first hall is live, around the fourth quarter of 2027\. Nebius also waits: it has paid ahead for capacity it cannot use for at least ten months after the escrow funds land. **Who pays.** Nebius, with cash out before revenue in. The preferred investors will take a cut of the project that would otherwise go to AIB's shareholders. **Stuck step.** Project financing. The hall clock starts when escrow is funded, and the debt and preferred equity are still being arranged. ## Two cautions The budget, the capital mix, the hall timings and the rate comparison come from AIB management on an investor call, not from a signed loan or a published contract. Nebius has not disclosed what it is prepaying. AIB is a small company converting a Bitcoin mining site into AI halls. The 10-month and 14-month timings are a plan, and they only start once the escrow money arrives. ## What would change the view - AIB signs the construction loan and the preferred equity on the terms it described. - The first hall slips past the fourth quarter of 2027. - Nebius adds more sites under the same master agreement by purchase order, as AIB says it can. ## What to watch - **The project financing close**: lender, size and rate on the roughly $560 million loan. - **Escrow funding date**: that date starts the 10-month clock for the first hall. - **AIB's other sites**: about 280 MW it says could be contracted in the next three to six months. *Read: [Neoclouds](https://www.sotkn.com/stack/neoclouds/), [What Does Nebius Do?](https://www.sotkn.com/stack/neoclouds/what-does-nebius-do/), and [How Long Does It Take to Build an AI Data Center?](https://www.sotkn.com/explained/how-long-does-it-take-to-build-an-ai-data-center/)* --- **Get the Wire.** A free brief every day, here and in your inbox. **[Subscribe free →](https://www.sotkn.com/#/portal/signup)** Not investment advice. Do your own research. The $108 million a year and $1.3 billion figures are our arithmetic. ## References 1. [MarketBeat, "BlockchAIn Digital Infrastructure Says Nebius Prepayment Funds $800M Data Center Build"](https://www.marketbeat.com/instant-alerts/event-blockchain-digital-infrastructure-says-nebius-prepayment-funds-800m-data-center-build-2026-10-08/?ref=sotkn.com), 8 Oct 2026\. Investor call: $800 million budget, $560 million debt, $140 million preferred, $100 million equity, prepayment, hall timings, Q4 2027 cash flow, rate range, pass-through, 280 MW pipeline. 2. [AIB Data Centers, CEO letter to shareholders (SEC exhibit 99.1)](https://cdn.yahoofinance.com/prod/sec-filings/0002070542/000121390026107421/ea030792301ex99-1.htm?ref=sotkn.com), 7 Oct 2026\. No corporate common equity needed for CLT1, contracted power up from 65 MW to about 120 MW. 3. [AIB Data Centers, "AIB Data Centers Signs Contract with Nebius for AI Data Center Capacity"](https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2026/09/30/3371855/0/en/aib-data-centers-signs-contract-with-nebius-for-ai-data-center-capacity.html?ref=sotkn.com), 30 Sep 2026\. Binding 50 MW agreement, 12-year term, 15-year 65 MW utility agreement, two halls. 4. [DCD, "Nebius signs 50MW lease with AIB Data Centers"](https://www.datacenterdynamics.com/en/news/nebius-signs-50mw-lease-with-aib-data-centers/?ref=sotkn.com), 1 Oct 2026\. Two five-year renewal options, CLT1 in South Carolina, former BlockchAIn name, Nebius quote on time-to-power.