Oracle just made the biggest bet yet on the AI infrastructure gold rush. The database giant announced Sunday it's raising up to $50 billion in 2026 to build data center capacity for a roster of AI heavyweights including Nvidia, Meta, and OpenAI. Investors responded with a 5% premarket surge, a welcome relief after the stock's brutal 50% slide since September. The move signals Oracle's determination to cement itself as a critical backbone in the AI arms race, even as questions swirl about whether the returns will justify the massive capital outlay.
Oracle is doubling down on AI infrastructure with a capital raise that dwarfs most tech companies' annual budgets. The announcement landed Sunday evening like a jolt of electricity through premarket trading, sending shares up 5% and sparking fresh debate about whether the AI buildout is visionary or reckless.
The numbers tell a story of enormous ambition. Oracle plans to pull in $45 billion to $50 billion in gross cash proceeds during calendar year 2026 through a combination of debt and equity offerings, according to the company's statement. That war chest will fund new data center capacity to meet what Oracle describes as contracted demand from its cloud customers, a client list that reads like a who's who of the AI revolution: Nvidia, Meta, OpenAI, AMD, TikTok, and Elon Musk's xAI.
The timing couldn't be more critical. Data center deals smashed records in 2025, hitting $61 billion as hyperscalers threw money at the infrastructure needed to train and run increasingly hungry AI models, according to CNBC. Oracle's entering this feeding frenzy with pockets deeper than ever, betting it can capture the wave of enterprise AI adoption before competitors lock up capacity.
But Wall Street's been skeptical of Oracle's AI spending spree. The stock has been cut in half since peaking in September, shedding 50% of its value as investors questioned whether the company's aggressive buildout would translate to profits. That collapse accelerated in December when Oracle posted slightly disappointing revenue and shares , dragging down other AI infrastructure plays in the process.
