Tracking the balance sheet behind the AI build-outArtificial Liabilities.

Financing & credit

What it costs to borrow, for the market and for AI companies.

03

Credit spreads & borrowing costs

Extra yield investors demand to lend to risky companies over Treasuries, by rating tier, plus the debt terms of AI infrastructure issuers.

Leading / coincident

Junk-bond borrowing costs, by rating

Extra interest over US government bonds (option-adjusted spread)
SeriesLatestObservedChangeStatus
US High Yield OAS3.31%16 Oct 20263M +58 bps6M +48 bps1Y +27 bpsCurrent
US BB OAS2.03%16 Oct 20263M +40 bps6M +29 bps1Y +8 bpsCurrent
US B OAS3.35%16 Oct 20263M +44 bps6M +32 bps1Y +24 bpsCurrent
US CCC & lower OAS12.97%16 Oct 20263M +322 bps6M +385 bps1Y +441 bpsCurrent

Borrowing costs, safer companies

BBB-rated spread (last 3 years) and Moody's Baa minus 10-year Treasury (long history)
SeriesLatestObservedChangeStatus
US BBB corporate OAS1.06%16 Oct 20263M +9 bps6M +5 bps1Y +5 bpsCurrent
Moody's Baa yield minus 10y Treasury1.44%15 Oct 20263M −15 bps6M −27 bps1Y −24 bpsCurrent

Total interest rates

These move with all interest rates, not just credit risk
SeriesLatestObservedChangeStatus
US High Yield effective yield8.14%16 Oct 20263M +117 bps6M +147 bps1Y +156 bpsCurrent
Moody's Baa corporate yield6.55%16 Oct 20263M +41 bps6M +57 bps1Y +85 bpsCurrent
10-year Treasury yield5.10%15 Oct 20263M +53 bps6M +78 bps1Y +105 bpsCurrent

What AI companies pay to borrow

Rates agreed when the debt was issued, from filings. Not today's market price.
IssuerItemValueDate
Cipher Digital Inc. (formerly Cipher Mining Inc.)Cipher Digital 0.00% convertible senior notes due 2032, coupon at issue0.00%16 Oct 2026 ↗
CoreWeave, Inc.CoreWeave 2.875% convertible senior notes due 2033, coupon at issue2.88%22 Sept 2026 ↗
Nebius Group N.V.Nebius 0.50% convertible notes due 2030, coupon at issue0.50%24 Aug 2026 ↗
Nebius Group N.V.Nebius 4.50% convertible notes due 2034, coupon at issue4.50%24 Aug 2026 ↗
CoreWeave Financing DDTL V-V, LLC (CoreWeave)CoreWeave DDTL 5.5 facility, margin over term SOFR5.50%7 Aug 2026 ↗
CoreWeave, Inc.CoreWeave 9.625% USD senior notes due 2032, coupon at issue9.63%18 Jun 2026 ↗
CoreWeave, Inc.CoreWeave 8.500% EUR senior notes due 2032, coupon at issue8.50%18 Jun 2026 ↗
APLD ComputeCo 3 LLC (Applied Digital Corporation)APLD ComputeCo 3 7.000% senior secured notes due 2031 (Polaris Forge 1 ELN-04), coupon at issue7.00%16 Jun 2026 ↗
Stingray Compute LLC (Cipher Digital Inc.)Stingray Compute (Cipher) 6.000% senior secured notes due 2031, coupon at issue6.00%15 Jun 2026 ↗
CoreWeave Financing DDTL V, LLC (CoreWeave)CoreWeave DDTL 5.0 facility, margin over daily compounded SOFR4.50%15 May 2026 ↗
IREN LimitedIREN 1.00% convertible senior notes due December 2033, coupon at issue1.00%14 May 2026 ↗
Core Scientific Finance I LLC (Core Scientific, Inc.)Core Scientific Finance I 7.750% senior secured notes due 2031, coupon at issue7.75%6 May 2026 ↗
CoreWeave, Inc.CoreWeave 1.75% convertible senior notes due 2032, coupon at issue1.75%14 Apr 2026 ↗
CoreWeave, Inc.CoreWeave 9.750% senior notes due 2031, coupon at issue9.75%14 Apr 2026 ↗
CoreWeave Compute Acquisition Co. VIII, LLC (CoreWeave)CoreWeave DDTL 4.0 facility, margin over daily compounded SOFR2.25%30 Mar 2026 ↗
Nebius Group N.V.Nebius 1.250% convertible notes due 2031, coupon at issue1.25%20 Mar 2026 ↗
Nebius Group N.V.Nebius 2.625% convertible notes due 2033, coupon at issue2.63%20 Mar 2026 ↗
APLD ComputeCo 2 LLC (Applied Digital Corporation)APLD ComputeCo 2 6.750% senior secured notes due 2031 (Polaris Forge 2), coupon at issue6.75%10 Mar 2026 ↗
Black Pearl Compute LLC (Cipher Mining Inc.)Black Pearl Compute (Cipher) 6.125% senior secured notes due 2031, coupon at issue6.13%11 Feb 2026 ↗
Flash Compute LLC (TeraWulf 50.1% / Fluidstack 49.9% JV)Flash Compute (TeraWulf/Fluidstack JV) 7.250% senior secured notes due 2030, coupon at issue7.25%29 Dec 2025 ↗
CoreWeave, Inc.CoreWeave 1.75% convertible senior notes due 2031, coupon at issue1.75%11 Dec 2025 ↗
IREN LimitedIREN 0.25% convertible senior notes due 2032, coupon at issue0.25%8 Dec 2025 ↗
IREN LimitedIREN 1.00% convertible senior notes due June 2033, coupon at issue1.00%8 Dec 2025 ↗
APLD ComputeCo LLC (Applied Digital Corporation)APLD ComputeCo 9.250% senior secured notes due 2030 (Polaris Forge 1), coupon at issue9.25%20 Nov 2025 ↗
Cipher Compute LLC (Cipher Mining Inc.)Cipher Compute 7.125% senior secured notes due 2030, coupon at issue7.13%13 Nov 2025 ↗
TeraWulf Inc.TeraWulf 0.00% convertible senior notes due 2032, coupon at issue0.00%31 Oct 2025 ↗
WULF Compute LLC (TeraWulf Inc.)WULF Compute (TeraWulf) 7.750% senior secured notes due 2030, coupon at issue7.75%23 Oct 2025 ↗
IREN LimitedIREN 0.00% convertible senior notes due 2031, coupon at issue0.00%14 Oct 2025 ↗
Cipher Mining Inc.Cipher Mining 0.00% convertible senior notes due 2031, coupon at issue0.00%30 Sept 2025 ↗
CoreWeave Compute Acquisition Co. IV, LLC (CoreWeave)CoreWeave DDTL 2.1 tranche (DDTL 2.0 Fifth Amendment), margin over term SOFR4.25%29 Sept 2025 ↗
Nebius Group N.V.Nebius 1.00% convertible notes due 2030, coupon at issue1.00%15 Sept 2025 ↗
Nebius Group N.V.Nebius 2.75% convertible notes due 2032, coupon at issue2.75%15 Sept 2025 ↗
TeraWulf Inc.TeraWulf 1.00% convertible senior notes due 2031, coupon at issue1.00%20 Aug 2025 ↗
CoreWeave Compute Acquisition Co. V / VII, LLC (CoreWeave)CoreWeave DDTL 3.0 facility, margin over daily compounded SOFR4.00%28 Jul 2025 ↗
CoreWeave, Inc.CoreWeave 9.000% senior notes due 2031, coupon at issue9.00%25 Jul 2025 ↗
IREN LimitedIREN 3.50% convertible senior notes due 2029, coupon at issue3.50%13 Jun 2025 ↗
Nebius Group N.V.Nebius 2.00% convertible notes due 2029, coupon at issue2.00%5 Jun 2025 ↗
Nebius Group N.V.Nebius 3.00% convertible notes due 2031, coupon at issue3.00%5 Jun 2025 ↗
CoreWeave, Inc.CoreWeave 9.250% senior notes due 2030, coupon at issue9.25%27 May 2025 ↗
Cipher Mining Inc.Cipher Mining 1.75% convertible senior notes due 2030, coupon at issue1.75%22 May 2025 ↗
CoreWeave, Inc.CoreWeave revolving credit facility, margin over term SOFR1.75%2 May 2025 ↗
How to read this

Warning signs

Spreads widening, especially in CCC and single-B, where leveraged infrastructure borrowers sit. AI issuers paying more than similarly rated peers is a specific warning.

Keep in mind

  • Index spreads are broad market proxies, not AI-specific.
  • A yield is not a spread, and a spread is not a default probability.
  • ICE BofA history on FRED is limited to a rolling 3 years. Older values exist only if this monitor stored them.