Rumble to buy German AI firm Northern Data for about $767 million, shares soar
FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: Figurines with computers and smartphones are seen in front of the words "Artificial Intelligence AI" in this illustration taken, February 19, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo/File Photo
Video platform Rumble, which hosts U.S. President Donald Trump's social media platform Truth Social, said in a statement on Monday it is acquiring German AI cloud company Northern Data in an all-stock deal valued at roughly $767 million.
Rumble's shares surged more than 25 per cent in premarket trading.
Northern Data's shareholders will receive 2.0281 newly issued Class A shares of Rumble for each share they hold - a 12.99 per cent discount to Northern Data's close on Friday.
Rumble had made an offer in August to acquire Northern Data, seeking control of the German company's Taiga business and its large-scale data center arm, Ardent. At that time, Rumble had put forth an offer of 2.319 shares for each Northern Data share.
The current deal with Rumble includes a $150 million GPU-leasing agreement with cryptocurrency group Tether, which currently owns 48 per cent of Rumble, according to data compiled by LSEG, as well as $200 million in tax liability support from Rumble.
Rumble will also acquire 22,400 Nvidia graphics processing units on deal completion.
Tether, which invested $775 million in the video platform in December 2024, also agreed to become an anchor customer of the combined group.
Northern Data's shareholders will own 30.4 per cent of Rumble following the deal's completion, which is expected in the second quarter of 2026. The cloud firm will delist itself after the deal closes.
Northern Data withdrew its annual forecast in October as it evaluated potential strategic transactions and the GPU market's pricing dynamics.
Northern Data said it will pay $200 million cash to its shareholders if it manages to sell its Corpus Christi data center before the deal closes.
