Jensen Huang said that the AI data center provider’s financial health is improving despite severe market volatility, swelling debt, and rising default risks.
- Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang rejected calls for a financial backstop for CoreWeave Inc., stating that the AI cloud infrastructure provider is growing stronger and seeing its cost of capital decline.
- CoreWeave faces mounting pressure with over $40 billion in debt, projected annual losses exceeding $2.5 billion, and credit default swaps signaling a 60% probability of default within five years.
- Anxiety surrounding CoreWeave’s financial viability and debt sustainability sparked a broader tech sell-off, driving the Philadelphia Stock Exchange Semiconductor Index (SOX) down by more than 9% so far this week.
Nvidia Corp.(NVDA) Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang on Thursday dismissed concerns regarding the financial stability of CoreWeave Inc.(CRWV), confirming that the chipmaker has no plans to intervene with a rescue package for the troubled artificial intelligence data center operator.
Speaking at an event in Stockholm, Huang expressed confidence in CoreWeave’s operational trajectory despite intense scrutiny from credit markets and equity investors. “CoreWeave’s strength is improving every day,” Huang said. “I’m optimistic. Their cost of capital is actually decreasing.”
Nvidia holds roughly a 10% equity stake in CoreWeave, making it the company’s second-largest shareholder.
Market Volatility and Debt Pressures
Huang’s reassuring statements provided brief relief to CoreWeave’s volatile stock, with its share price on track for the worst week since November last year. The company’s stock plunged 15% on Wednesday and dropped as much as 9.5% on Thursday before paring back some losses following the CEO’s remarks.
The firm’s share price drop extends deep into its debt instruments. Debt maturing in 2032 fell on Wednesday, drawing widespread attention and prompting billionaire Elon Musk to publicly comment “yikes” on his social media platform.
According to ICE Data Services, the cost to insure CoreWeave’s debt against default over a five-year horizon surged up to 74.5 basis points to a record high of 1,194.5 basis points. Credit default swaps are currently pricing in a greater than 60% probability that the company will default within five years.
Broader Semiconductor Sell-off
Doubts on CoreWeave’s capacity to deliver adequate returns on its infrastructure spending has fanned global market anxiety regarding the sustainability of the AI buildout. Investors are increasingly cautious that capital expenditure on AI computing hardware may have outpaced near-term monetization capability.
Reflecting these widespread industry anxieties, the Philadelphia Stock Exchange Semiconductor Index (SOX) and the iShares Semiconductor ETF (SOXX) declined by more than 9% over the course of the week.
Moreover, research firm Gartner on Wednesday flagged that most of the neocloud market, which includes stocks like CoreWeave, Iren (IREN) and Nebius (NBIS), could cease to exist by 2030, adding to market anxiety.
Huang Dismisses AI Boom Concerns
In a separate interview with Bloomberg, Huang shrugged off concerns around AI IPOs getting delayed and data center projects getting blocked or delayed. “The capabilities of AI now that we know what it can do, that’s never going to go back,” he said. “In a lot of ways, it’s fundamental and it’s irrespective of near term challenges.”
According to him, it’s part and parcel of an industry that’s “growing up.”Many of the young companies are going through their growing pain and they’re growing, of course, incredibly fast,” Huang said. “There’s an accountability and responsibility that goes along with building companies that I think they’re just growing into.”
CRWV Stock: Retail View
Retail sentiment on Stocktwits was ‘bullish’ with ‘extremely high’ retail investor traction.
CRWV stock has lost 11% year-to-date.
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