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Why the Oracle-OpenAI deal caught Wall Street by surprise


The $300B deal is a reminder that despite Oracle’s legacy status, it shouldn’t be overlooked when it comes to AI infrastructure. But key questions around power and how OpenAI will pay for this remain.

Some industry watchers expressed surprise that Oracle was involved, citing the company’s diminished role in the AI boom compared to cloud rivals like Google, Microsoft Azure, and AWS. CEO Sam Altman has placed several prominent bets in the energy sector, including Oklo, Helion, and Exowatt, but the company itself hasn’t thrown money into the space like Google, Meta, or Amazon. The company may play an indirect role, paying Oracle to handle the physical infrastructure — something it has extensive experience with — just as Altman invested in startups aligned with OpenAI’s future power needs.

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