Via 247wallst.com
Oracle's co-founder has borrowed over $50 billion to fund a massive AI data center buildout, and the stakes couldn't be higher
Larry Ellison is making the kind of bet that either gets studied in business school textbooks or cautionary tale documentaries. The Oracle co-founder has loaded the company up with tens of billions in debt to chase the AI infrastructure boom, transforming what was once a stodgy enterprise software company into something that looks more like a hyperscaler with a database habit.
The numbers are staggering. Oracle raised $50 billion in bonds in February 2026 and tacked on an additional $58 billion in related borrowing within just the first two months of the year. That’s over $100 billion in debt financing in roughly 60 days.
Project Stargate and the $500 billion vision #
The borrowing spree is fueling Project Stargate, Oracle’s plan to invest up to $500 billion in AI-focused data centers over the next four years. Individual facilities are targeting over 500,000 square feet, with an overall power capacity goal of 10 gigawatts.
Ellison’s pivot traces back to a very specific moment: the launch of ChatGPT in November 2022. That’s when the 80-year-old tech billionaire reportedly reclaimed significant operational control of Oracle, recognizing that generative AI would reshape enterprise computing.
Oracle shares surged over 30% in September 2025, briefly catapulting Ellison to the title of world’s richest person with an estimated net worth between $393 billion and $400 billion. The company posted $17.2 billion in quarterly revenue for the period ending February 28, 2026, with cloud services revenue jumping 44% year over year.
The debt question investors can’t ignore #
Reports indicate that bondholders have already filed lawsuits related to AI financing deals, particularly those connected to OpenAI. Internal tensions have reportedly surfaced as well.
Political ties and the regulatory angle #
Ellison’s strategy also involves leveraging political connections, most notably his support for the Trump administration, to facilitate regulatory processes around data center construction. Having a friendly relationship with the White House can meaningfully accelerate timelines, which matters when you’re racing competitors like Microsoft, Google, and Amazon who are all pouring capital into similar buildouts.
Oracle’s $17.2 billion quarterly revenue and 44% cloud growth rate suggest the company is executing well in the near term. Investors should watch two metrics closely: data center utilization rates as new facilities come online, and the trajectory of Oracle’s debt-to-EBITDA ratio over the next several quarters.
Disclosure: This article was edited by Editorial Team. For more information on how we create and review content, see our