Concerns are being raised by some experts regarding a potential "debt bomb" crisis, as major datacenter builders such as Meta, Oracle, xAI, and CoreWeave are reportedly raising billions for new facilities without fully recognising these long-term debt obligations on their balance sheets.
This financing method involves forming separate entities, not consolidated in the parent company's financials, to build datacenters. These entities raise funds from investors, banks, and financial firms, allowing the parent company to use the datacenter while most of the debt remains off its books.
The Financial Times reported in December 2025 that tech companies had moved more than $120bn of AI datacenter spending off their balance sheets using special-purpose vehicles and similar structures. Goldman Sachs estimates that hyperscalers could spend $5.3tn on AI and datacenters by 2030, with private markets expected to play a growing role in financing this expansion.
Skeptics are concerned that this practice may obscure the long-term impact of the debt, drawing comparisons to the 2001 failure of Enron. However, other experts argue that while scrutiny is warranted, the current situation differs significantly from Enron, citing increased disclosures and intense scrutiny today.
The risks associated with today's off-balance-sheet financing strategies for big tech firms are considered different and potentially more recoverable than past examples. Datacenters, unlike failed drug developments, represent tangible assets with strong ongoing demand for computing capacity.