Microsoft · Nvidia · United Kingdom · The Register
Neocloud IREN picks up OpenStack champion Mirantis
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Former bitcoin miner plans to build an easier cloudy AI on ramp while remaining a friend to FOSS.
Key facts
- Microsoft likes IREN’s plans so much it signed up for $9.7 billion worth of GPU access over five years
- In 2023, the company decided to get into the generative AI business and started buying Nvidia GPUs
- Mirantis CEO Alex Freedland pitched the acquisition as a boost for his company’s mission to create an open AI stack
- IREN initially built facilities in the Canadian province of British Columbia, then branched out to build bit barns in Texas and Oklahoma
Summary
Neocloud IREN has decided to buy Mirantis, and the two plan to build an open AI stack. Mirantis made its name developing open source cloud infrastructure, such as its OpenStack distribution, hyperconverged appliances, and Kubernetes tools. Formed in 2018, IREN started life as Iris Energy. In 2023, the company decided to get into the generative AI business and started buying Nvidia GPUs.