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Microsoft Accepts IREN’s First 50MW Horizon, Enabling Billing Under $9.7B Cloud Deal

The sign‑off starts IREN’s contractual service term, begins monthly invoicing, and shifts the company from construction toward revenue realization.

Overview

  • Microsoft formally accepted Horizon 1 on Thursday, marking delivery of a 50 MW liquid‑cooled deployment at IREN’s Childress, Texas campus and allowing IREN to begin monthly billing after Microsoft’s testing window.
  • NVIDIA granted the Childress deployment 'Exemplar Cloud' status, validating the use of GB300 NVL72 GPUs and direct‑to‑chip liquid cooling for high‑density AI workloads.
  • The acceptance kicks off the five‑year, roughly $9.7 billion agreement that is structured in four 50 MW phases and includes a 20% upfront prepayment to help fund buildout.
  • Investors reacted positively with a multi‑day stock rally, and Wall Street analysts reiterated bullish views that IREN’s model could capture higher revenue per MW if compute supply stays tight.
  • Key near‑term risks remain the on‑time delivery and acceptance of Horizons 2–4, large GPU and hardware rollouts under a reported ~$5.8 billion Dell supply pact, and power and commissioning challenges that will determine the broader revenue ramp.