NVIDIA, Cloverleaf partner on data center development

NVIDIA is expanding its role in the buildout of AI-related digital infrastructure through a new partnership with Cloverleaf Infrastructure, a company focused on power sources and site development for data centers.

Cloverleaf said on August 21 that it entered into a strategic partnership with NVIDIA to advance digital infrastructure development across the U.S. As part of the agreement, NVIDIA is reportedly taking a minority stake in Cloverleaf. The companies did not disclose financial terms, though the Wall Street Journal reported that Nvidia’s investment is likely to be up to several hundred million dollars.

Founded in 2024, Cloverleaf raised $300 million in its first year. The company is often described as a middleman between utility companies and data centers as AI facilities seek to secure electricity supply. Cloverleaf said the NVIDIA investment will enable it "to help its customers and utility partners meet increasing demand for accelerated computing." The companies will work together "to advance the foundational infrastructure needed to support AI factory development", according to the release.

The agreement adds to NVIDIA’s increasing involvement in financing and developing data centers that then buy the company’s AI systems. Earlier this month, NVIDIA said it would invest $1.5 billion into SB Energy to support that company’s PORTS-Pike campus, an OpenAI-linked 10-GW data center project in Pike County, Ohio.

Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA, said of that deal, "AI is becoming infrastructure - the foundation for intelligence in every industry - and land, power and shell have become vital in the age of AI. Now is the time to scale the AI infrastructure that will power the next industrial revolution. We are securing long-lived infrastructure for NVIDIA compute so OpenAI can deploy the most productive AI factories that can be upgraded repeatedly with each new generation delivering more intelligence and better economics."

Cloverleaf said it already has a large AI development pipeline and has "delivered multiple GW-scale projects to customers across North America", according to the company.

David Berry, co-founder and CEO of Cloverleaf, said, "AI is accelerating demand for digital infrastructure at an unprecedented scale and driving strong economic development opportunities for American communities. This partnership strengthens Cloverleaf’s ability to identify and develop high-quality sites that provide the compute power for our country’s growth and security. Together, we will help America’s businesses and workers gain a critical edge."

Nico Caprez, vice president of Global AI Infrastructure Growth at NVIDIA, said, "AI factories are the infrastructure of the intelligence age, and land, power and shell are their foundation. Cloverleaf brings deep expertise in power and site development to create exceptional, long-lived sites for generations of accelerated computing. Together, we are accelerating the build out of AI infrastructure that will strengthen America’s energy infrastructure and power the next wave of innovation."

Cloverleaf said it will use the NVIDIA DSX Platform to bring site, power, cooling, computing, and facility decisions together earlier in the design phase. The company said that approach will help customers "evaluate infrastructure tradeoffs and build AI factories that deliver more useful AI output within available power, water and grid constraints." It also said "NVIDIA DSX infrastructure and software will help customers optimize energy use and computing capacity" at operating data center sites.

J.P. Morgan Securities LLC served as exclusive financial advisor and Kirkland & Ellis LLP served as legal counsel to Cloverleaf in structuring the deal.

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