Amidst the AI investment boom on Wall Street, a rare bond issuance frenzy is sweeping major US tech firms. AMD recently raised $4.75 billion in its largest-ever USD bond sale. This follows massive debt offerings from Nvidia ($25B), Amazon (planning at least $25B), and Alphabet ($25B), with tech giants collectively issuing nearly $220 billion in bonds so far this year—more than double 2025's total. While this fuels an AI infrastructure "race," raising real yields, a hidden risk looms. Research by Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley reveals nearly $2 trillion in off-balance-sheet financial commitments from giants like Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta. These stem from future lease obligations and purchase contracts for data centers, not formally recorded as debt. The trend, pioneered by Meta's structured financing for its Louisiana data center, allows massive expansion without bloating balance sheets. Though traditional credit metrics for these companies remain strong, credit markets are reassessing risk. Yields on related bonds are rising, and credit default swap (CDS) premiums for firms like Oracle and Nvidia have hit record highs. The concern is that if AI data center returns disappoint, these hidden liabilities could significantly impact credit markets. Investors are advised to look beyond headline numbers and scrutinize financial statement footnotes.
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