(Sept 17): GMI Cloud, a Nvidia Corp partner, is seeking a US$300 million (RM1.21 billion) loan to buy chips for its facility in Thailand, according to people familiar with the matter, adding to a growing list of similar deals in Asia.

The US-based data centre operator has approached banks and private credit funds for the financing, said the people who asked not to be identified as the discussions are private. The proposed deal would pay yields in the low-teens, they said. 

Proceeds from the self-arranged funding would be used for chip purchases for GMI Cloud’s facility, housed in STT GDC Pte’s site in Thailand, they said. Tencent Holdings Ltd would be the user of the chips, they said. 

Spokespeople for GMI Cloud and Tencent had no immediate comment when contacted, while a spokesperson for STTGDC declined to comment. 

Chip financing is emerging as the next frontier for artificial intelligence lenders, as banks and private credit expand beyond data centres to the hardware that powers them. GMI Cloud recently signed a NT$13.9 billion (RM1.78 billion) loan, backed by contracts for computing power from advanced chips, for a project in Taiwan. 

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