Fluidstack Eyes $18B Valuation in Massive $1B Funding Round
Fluidstack, a developer of specialized data centers tailored for artificial intelligence workloads, is currently in discussions to secure a $1 billion investment. According to reports, the potential deal could value the startup at $18 billion, with Jane Street emerging as a lead candidate to back the round.
Should the negotiations conclude successfully, the company would more than double its valuation in a matter of months. This rapid climb follows a previous funding effort reported in December, where the firm was seeking approximately $700 million at a $7.5 billion valuation.
Rapid Growth and Strategic Shifts
The earlier December round was reportedly led by Situational Awareness—an AGI-focused fund established by former OpenAI researcher Leopold Aschenbrenner—with participation from notable figures including Stripe’s Collison brothers, former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman, and AI investor Daniel Gross. By February, interest in the startup continued, with reports from The Wall Street Journal indicating that Google was exploring a potential $100 million contribution to the company’s coffers.
Fluidstack’s momentum is largely driven by its specialized approach to infrastructure. Unlike traditional hyperscalers like AWS that cater to diverse computing needs, Fluidstack focuses exclusively on AI-specific architecture. A major catalyst for this growth was a $50 billion deal signed in November with Anthropic to develop custom data centers in Texas and New York.
Consolidating U.S. Operations
The partnership with Anthropic has been a defining moment for the company, which originated as a spin-out from Oxford and was previously a fixture in the European AI ecosystem. To better serve its U.S.-based demand, the startup relocated its headquarters from the U.K. to New York.
This pivot toward the American market has also led to a strategic withdrawal elsewhere. Last month, the firm exited a significant €10 billion AI initiative in France to concentrate its resources on domestic opportunities. Beyond its landmark deal with Anthropic, Fluidstack’s client roster includes:
- Meta
- Poolside
- Black Forest Labs
- Mistral AI
While the company has become a central player in the AI hardware supply chain, it has remained quiet regarding its current financial trajectory. Fluidstack did not respond to requests for comment regarding the potential $1 billion funding round.