Jensen Huang Foresees Booming AI Demand, but Elon Musk's Warning Highlights a Different Risk

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang recently said that artificial intelligence (AI) demand is booming. But Tesla CEO Elon Musk is warning of "death and consolidation" among the companies supplying it. These views might seem at odds, but both CEOs could be right.

CoreWeave's debt troubles put neoclouds under pressure

Earlier this month, CoreWeave (NASDAQ: CRWV) and other "neoclouds" -- companies that specialize in renting out computing power for AI -- saw their stock prices tumble as investors reacted to turbulence in debt markets. Yields on bonds from CoreWeave -- one of the most prominent neoclouds -- reached 15%.

At the same time, the cost to insure its unsecured debt soared. Credit default swap (CDS) spreads, which measure that insurance cost, reached roughly 1,100 basis points. Translation: It takes about $110,000 annually to insure $1 million of CoreWeave debt against default. Huang stepped in to try to calm the market, telling investors that CoreWeave's "financial strength is improving every day." He said that the market's concerns were misplaced because demand for AI compute is "off the charts."

Then, on Sunday, Musk took to X to say that debt markets had "almost entirely shut off access to money" for companies without substantial revenue outside AI data centers -- such as neoclouds.

Image source: Getty Images.

His prediction for many of the smaller players was blunt: "death and consolidation."

Booming AI demand doesn't solve the financing problem

Building or leasing AI data centers and then filling them with the most advanced chips in the world requires enormous amounts of money. The big fish -- players like Amazon and Microsoft -- can fund a large portion of their data center capex with the cash flows that their legacy businesses produce. Most neoclouds don't have that luxury, and many have funded their rapid build-outs almost entirely with debt.

That strategy can work out financially if everything goes according to plan, but it leaves little room for error. As the data center build-out has dragged on, the delicate balance between borrowing, building, and delivering AI compute to customers on time is getting harder to maintain. That makes lenders nervous.

When lenders get nervous, they charge borrowers more or stop lending altogether. Those are serious problems at best, catastrophic problems at worst.

Huang's statement can be true and still not be enough to reassure investors. The math on the neocloud model could break even if demand for AI compute remains strong. That would lead to lenders tightening their purses and, eventually, the "death and consolidation" Musk is warning about.

Johnny Rice has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Amazon, Microsoft, Nvidia, and Tesla. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.