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WhiteFiber discloses $865M Nscale contract in SEC filing

WhiteFiber discloses $865M Nscale contract in SEC filing

Built World

The 10-year, 40 MW anchor lease underpins WhiteFiber's push from GPU cloud to a full AI infrastructure platform.

Yesterday: SEC filing details Nscale contract and pipeline

Overview

Updated 6 hours ago

WhiteFiber, an AI infrastructure company that launched its GPU cloud in January 2024, filed a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) disclosure on September 14 detailing a 10-year, 40 megawatt (MW) contract with Nscale worth roughly $865 million. The anchor lease at its NC-1 campus in Madison, North Carolina began billing in the third quarter of 2026.

The filing shows the financing model behind WhiteFiber's growth: lock in long-term leases with investment-grade customers, then use those contracts to raise project-level debt for data center construction. It also lays out a roughly 1.5 gigawatt (GW) development pipeline, which would make WhiteFiber one of the larger independent AI data center developers.

Why it matters

The Nscale anchor contract shows how independent builders can finance AI data centers on the strength of long-term customer leases, not hyperscaler balance sheets.

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Key Indicators

$865M
NC-1 contract value
10-year, 40 MW colocation contract with Nscale, including rate escalators and installation charges.
40 MW
Contracted IT load
IT capacity Nscale secured at NC-1 under the anchor contract.
10 years
Contract term
Length of the colocation agreement, with 3% annual rate escalators on recurring fees.
99 MW
Utility gross capacity
Gross power under the Duke Energy agreement; the site could support up to 200 MW over time.
1.5 GW
Development pipeline
Data center sites under evaluation, including at least one near-term acquisition target.

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Organizations Involved

Timeline

January 2024 September 2026

11 events Latest: Yesterday Showing 8 of 11
Tap a bar to jump to that date
  1. SEC filing details Nscale contract and pipeline

    Latest Regulatory filing

    WhiteFiber files an 8-K with the SEC disclosing the investor presentation with Nscale contract terms, cloud wins over $550 million, and a 1.5 GW pipeline.

  2. Agreement to acquire two North Carolina sites

    Acquisition

    WhiteFiber signs a $60 million purchase agreement for two properties, NC-2 and NC-3, expected to provide 60 MW of combined initial capacity.

  3. NC-1 customer deployment active; billing begins

    Milestone

    Initial billing commences at NC-1 as Nscale deploys its first phase of contracted capacity.

  4. First-quarter results note 54 MW delivered to NC-1

    Earnings

    WhiteFiber reports Duke Energy completed work to deliver the initial 54 gross MW of utility power to NC-1.

  5. Nscale anchor contract announced

    Contract

    WhiteFiber announces a 10-year, 40 MW colocation contract with Nscale at NC-1, valued at roughly $865 million.

  6. MTL-3 data center becomes operational

    Milestone

    The MTL-3 facility, running Cerebras systems, is delivered in about six months.

  7. WhiteFiber lists on Nasdaq as WYFI

    IPO

    WhiteFiber goes public as a pure-play AI infrastructure platform.

  8. NC-1 campus acquired in Madison, North Carolina

    Acquisition

    WhiteFiber acquires its flagship U.S. data center campus at a base purchase price of about $45 million.

  9. WhiteFiber brand launches, unifying cloud and data center

    Rebranding

    WhiteFiber becomes the unified brand for its cloud and data center platform.

  10. WhiteFiber acquires data center operator Enovum

    Acquisition

    The Enovum acquisition brings a data center platform under WhiteFiber's control.

  11. WhiteFiber launches GPU cloud platform

    Launch

    WhiteFiber's initial GPU cloud platform launches, starting its cloud services business.

Scenarios

1

Nscale Expands NC-1 Deployment by End of 2027

Possible Resolves by End of 2027

Discussed by: WhiteFiber's own investor presentation, which highlights Nscale's priority notification rights and potential expansion toward roughly twice the initial 40 MW.

Nscale holds priority notification rights for future capacity at NC-1. As Duke Energy delivers more than the initial 54 gross MW and infrastructure upgrades proceed, Nscale could convert those rights into a signed expansion agreement, pushing its deployment toward 80 MW by the end of 2027.

2

WhiteFiber Closes NC-2 and NC-3 Acquisition in Q4 2026

Likely Resolves by End of 2026

Discussed by: The August 16, 2026 purchase agreement disclosed in WhiteFiber's 8-K, which targets closing in Q4 2026.

WhiteFiber signed a $60 million purchase agreement for two North Carolina properties, NC-2 and NC-3, about 55 miles from NC-1. The sites are expected to provide at least 60 MW of combined initial gross capacity, with potential for up to 198 MW over time. Closing is subject to due diligence and confirmation of power supply.

3

NC-1 Full Ramp Slips Past Q2 2027

Possible Resolves by Q2 2027

Discussed by: WhiteFiber's filing, which notes the full ramp is subject to construction, delivery, and acceptance milestones; analyst commentary on TradingView flags execution risk.

The contract structure ties billing for later phases to completed construction and equipment delivery. If equipment or power milestones slip, WhiteFiber could fall short of the full 40 MW IT load deployment well into 2027, delaying revenue recognition and pressuring the share price.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

1999-2001

The dot-com colocation boom and bust (1999-2001)

Colocation providers like Exodus Communications raised billions to build data centers on leased property and optimistic demand projections during the dot-com boom. When the bubble burst, demand collapsed and Exodus filed for bankruptcy in 2001.

Then

Massive overcapacity and a wave of bankruptcies in the colocation sector.

Now

The industry consolidated into a few large operators, and financing terms for data center construction tightened.

Why this matters now

WhiteFiber's bet is that AI demand will sustain. The dot-com bust shows what happens when data center capacity outruns actual customer demand.

2023-2024

CoreWeave's AI contract-backed rise (2023-2024)

CoreWeave, a company born from crypto mining, pivoted to AI cloud services and signed long-term contracts with hyperscalers to run AI workloads. It used those contracts as collateral to secure billions in debt for data center construction.

Then

CoreWeave became one of the largest independent AI cloud providers and grew revenue sharply.

Now

Established the contract-backed financing model now standard for independent AI infrastructure builders.

Why this matters now

WhiteFiber is using the same playbook: anchor lease from an investment-grade customer, then project-level debt to fund construction.

Sources

(6)