The Kuwait Investment Authority (KIA) has announced that it has joined forces with artificial intelligence (AI) ⁠chip giant NVIDIA, private equity firm KKR and leading integrated power generation and electricity company Vistra to launch Helix Digital Infrastructure, at a total investment of over $10 billion in long-duration capital commitments.

The new company, Helix has been designed to deliver integrated infrastructure at the speed and scale required for hyperscalers to meet accelerating AI demand. 

As building AI infrastructure becomes increasingly complex, Helix will serve as a single coordination point for hyperscalers’ data centers, power, connectivity and related needs.

The company is led by Adam Selipsky, former CEO of Amazon Web Services, who brings first-hand experience scaling the world’s largest cloud business, and deep insight into hyperscaler infrastructure priorities. He is joined by a dedicated management team and Board. 

Waldemar Szlezak, KKR’s Global Head of Digital Infrastructure, will serve as Helix’s Chief Investment Officer. Helix will seek to invest in and manage assets critical to enabling AI, including hyperscale data center development and operations; baseload and flexible power generation; transmission and distribution infrastructure; and fiber and connectivity infrastructure, among other assets.

Founded with anchor investments from investors including KKR, KIA, NVIDIA and Vistra, the Helix strategy has more than $10 billion in total long-duration capital commitments to date. 

On the new launch, KIA, one of the world’s largest sovereign wealth funds, said it adds long-term capital and global investment reach. NVIDIA will serve as a strategic partner to support the deployment of NVIDIA DSX AI factory-aligned infrastructure with a view to maximising tokens per watt, achieving lowest total cost of ownership and accelerating time to first token for investments pursued by Helix. 

Vistra, a leading integrated power generation and electricity company with operations across 18 states and Washington, D.C., will be the preferred power provider for Helix investments. Following the closing of the founding commitments, Helix is open to additional eligible institutional investors.

According to KKR, the AI sector is driving the largest infrastructure buildout in modern history, requiring trillions of dollars in investment across data centers, power generation and transmission, connectivity and related infrastructure over the coming decade. The scale and complexity of financing and coordinating this buildout represents a key industry bottleneck, ultimately slowing hyperscalers from delivering the models, services and applications their customers demand. 

Delivering AI infrastructure requires credible, long-term financial underwriters capable of committing capital consistently. Hyperscalers are also seeking more integrated and repeatable infrastructure solutions that meaningfully reduce the complexity they face in building at unprecedented scale, it stated.

KKR launched Helix in response to these challenges. Helix will be positioned as a single, trusted strategic partner to hyperscalers, armed with a long-duration, multi-billion-dollar capital base, and with integrated development capabilities and coordinated execution across AI infrastructure. 

On the new entity, Selipsky said: "Large users of digital infrastructure have an urgent need to reduce complexity and unlock new capacity. Helix combines significant long-term capital with the capabilities and expertise to deliver holistic AI infrastructure solutions with speed and scale,” said Adam Selipsky, Co-Founder and CEO of Helix Digital Infrastructure."

"Helix is further strengthened by strategic partnerships with NVIDIA and Vistra across technology and power, which we believe will enable the company to deliver the infrastructure that will underpin hyperscalers’ AI strategies for years to come," he stated.

Sheikh Saoud Salem Abdulaziz Al Sabah, the Managing Director of Kuwait Investment Authority, said: "We view AI infrastructure as one of the defining long-term investment opportunities globally, and Helix is purpose-built to address it."

"Helix reflects a differentiated model that combines proven leadership, integrated capabilities and long-term capital required to deliver the next generation of critical digital infrastructure at scale," he noted.

Jensen Huang, founder and CEO of NVIDIA, said: "Useful AI has arrived, and demand for AI factories is extraordinary. AI is driving the largest infrastructure buildout in modern history."

"With the NVIDIA DSX platform and the Helix strategic partnership, we are bringing together a proven AI factory blueprint, world-class infrastructure expertise from KKR, and long-term capital to help AI cloud providers build the next generation of intelligence infrastructure," stated Huang.

"Power generation and grid interconnections are critical gating factors for AI infrastructure deployments,” said 

Jim Burke, the President and CEO of Vistra, said: "Helix brings together data center development, infrastructure and power capabilities under a single umbrella, providing a one-stop shop for large load customers. By utilising Vistra’s existing fleet to deliver near-term power, Helix will accelerate delivery of power solutions through the use of existing assets while also bringing additionality with Vistra's best-in-class capabilities, including power generation development and power grid expertise."

"Vistra has a proven track record in executing more than 5,000 megawatts of power purchase agreements with hyperscalers and looks forward to leveraging our leading and diverse generation fleet and operational expertise as Helix’s preferred power partner to help deliver the reliable, affordable energy these customers require," he added.

Joe Bae and Scott Nuttall, the Co-Chief Executive Officers at KKR said: "Like a DNA helix, Helix Digital Infrastructure is built on a double strand of complementary strengths - KKR's institutional capital and infrastructure expertise intertwined with Helix's hyperscaler leadership and execution engine."

"Together, with our strategic partners, we are positioned to meet the financial and operational demands of the AI era,” they added.

Helix is supported by KKR’s leading global infrastructure platform, which includes over $100 billion in infrastructure assets under management and more than $70 billion invested across digital and power assets. 

KKR’s experience across data centres, renewable and conventional power generation and transmission, fiber and related sectors provides the foundation for Helix’s integrated model. KKR’s anchor investment in the Helix strategy is funded through its balance sheet and other managed vehicles.-TradeArabia News Service