The deal and what Crusoe will deliver
Crusoe struck a multiyear cloud contract with Perplexity as it works to grow revenue from renting AI chips and software. Perplexity will use Nvidia hardware from Crusoe to both train and serve its models, with Crusoe overseeing the technology for its full lifespan, according to Erwan Menard, the senior vice president leading the cloud product. The arrangement also includes providing Perplexity's Enterprise Max product to more than 1,800 employees. Neither company disclosed financial terms.
Tech access and competitive positioning
Crusoe Cloud offers both Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices chips, a two-track approach that is unusual given many neocloud peers stick to a single supplier. Nate Kupp, who oversees engineering as well as the enterprise and infrastructure teams at Perplexity, said Crusoe is aiding the startup in obtaining more Nvidia GB300 chips that the company needs for its work. Menard added that Crusoe has access to Nvidia's newest processors, known as Vera Rubin, and that other contracted customers are already using them, without naming those clients.
How this fits with Crusoe's business
Crusoe is widely recognized for running big-ticket projects such as OpenAI's Stargate data center in Abilene, Texas, and it is building out a cloud unit that competes with names like CoreWeave Inc. and Nebius Group NV. The company also inked a $13 billion agreement with Jane Street tied to its cloud arm. Menard said offering a cloud option draws in customers who do not want to stand up massive facilities of their own and helps lift revenue and profitability. "We love doing data centers at gigawatt scale and above because we make a big difference," he said. For smaller customers who only need access to chips or services, "we'll give you that value-add under the hood."
Setbacks and operations footprint
Not everything has been smooth for Crusoe's largest builds. OpenAI and partner Oracle opted not to take space in an expansion at the Abilene location, while Microsoft agreed to rent that addition. In a separate case, partners removed Crusoe from a Wyoming data center project intended for Alphabet Inc.'s Google. On the cloud side, Crusoe has deployments in the U.S., Iceland and Norway, with Israel expected to come online soon, Menard said. Perplexity is still a significant client of Amazon Web Services and of other large cloud vendors.
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What this means for your portfolio
The takeaway: more routes to high-end AI chips without building a giant data center. Crusoe is trying to thread both needles, running mega projects while renting out Nvidia and AMD capacity, including GB300 access and the latest Vera Rubin processors. For anyone tracking the AI stack, that points to a broader supplier base and a quicker path to compute for startups and incumbents alike.
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