Nebius leverages Microsoft, Meta contracts for AI expansion 

By Toby Sterling and Lucy Raitano

AMSTERDAM/LONDON, Dec 3 (Reuters) - Netherlands-based information centre relation Nebius volition leverage caller multi-billion dollar contracts with Microsoft and Meta to physique its concern with accepted firms and emerging AI companies that could beryllium aboriginal ​tech titans, its co-founder said.

A $17 cardinal woody with Microsoft successful September and different $3 cardinal tie-up with Meta person helped propel the ‌company's Nasdaq-listed banal 248% higher this year, pushing its marketplace capitalisation past $25 billion.

The steadfast is present widening its lawsuit basal - particularly fixed fears an AI bubble is already ‌underway.

"We are precise bullish," Roman Chernin told Reuters successful an interview, adding that ebbs are earthy during a technological gyration but the marketplace for supplying companies with entree to AI infrastructure could turn ten- oregon adjacent a hundred-fold, arsenic firms are lone opening to usage AI models that are themselves undergoing accelerated advances.

As a smaller subordinate successful the booming sector, the steadfast is preparing for harder times by processing high-margin services and ⁠long-term relationships.

"We should beryllium acceptable (for when) the wintertime ‌will come," Chernin said, adding Nebius would past enactment arsenic a consolidator.

EUROPE'S BIGGEST NEOCLOUD FIRM

Legacy enterprises are conscionable opening to pat Nebius' services, spanning sectors similar manufacturing, retail and banking - with pharmaceutical firms and fiscal institutions ‍like hedge funds moving faster, Chernin said.

Nebius, which has a concern with Nvidia, is Europe's biggest 'neocloud' firm, offering entree to the almighty but costly graphics processing units (GPUs) needed for AI.

It besides offers the bundle needed to usage them efficaciously and to tally specialized AI applications, putting it successful contention with some accepted ​data centre operators and U.S. "hyperscalers" similar Amazon and Google.

Nebius' apical marketplace by gross and installed capableness is the United States, but ‌it besides has information centres successful Europe, including successful Britain, Iceland, Finland and France. It plans to unafraid 2.5 gigawatts of contracted powerfulness for facilities crossed some regions by the extremity of 2026, reflecting lawsuit demand.

Capacity sold to European "neocloud" providers roseate 211% to 414 megawatts successful the archetypal 9 months of 2025 from a twelvemonth earlier, according to existent property services steadfast CBRE.

MARGIN NOT REVENUE

Chernin said Nebius prioritised margins, not revenue, erstwhile negotiating hyperscaler deals.

"We are reasoning astir it arsenic a system, truthful we signed those (large) deals having successful caput that we request ⁠to concern the rest," helium said.