Rumble, the video platform best known for hosting U.S. President Donald Trump’s Truth Social, announced on Monday that it has reached an agreement to acquire German artificial intelligence cloud firm Northern Data in an all-stock deal valued at roughly $767 million.
The acquisition marks a major strategic shift for Rumble as it moves beyond its origins as a video-sharing and free-speech platform into the fast-growing field of AI cloud computing and data infrastructure.
Under the terms of the agreement, Northern Data shareholders will receive 2.0281 newly issued Class A Rumble shares for each Northern Data share they hold — representing a 12.99% discount to the German company’s closing price on Friday. Once completed, Northern Data shareholders will own about 30.4% of the combined entity. The deal is expected to close in the second quarter of 2026, after which Northern Data plans to delist from the Frankfurt Stock Exchange.
Register for Tekedia Mini-MBA edition 19 (Feb 9 – May 2, 2026): big discounts for early bird.
Tekedia AI in Business Masterclass opens registrations.
Join Tekedia Capital Syndicate and co-invest in great global startups.
Register for Tekedia AI Lab: From Technical Design to Deployment (next edition begins Jan 24 2026).
The announcement triggered a strong market response, with Rumble shares surging more than 25% in premarket trading. The deal gives Rumble immediate access to Northern Data’s high-performance computing infrastructure, including its subsidiaries Taiga and Ardent, which specialize in large-scale GPU-based AI cloud services. These units are critical to supporting generative AI applications, machine learning models, and advanced data analytics — areas that have seen explosive demand globally.
Rumble’s entry into the AI infrastructure business comes as the company seeks to expand its revenue base and technological capacity. The firm’s partnership with Northern Data is also reinforced by the involvement of Tether, the world’s largest stablecoin issuer, which already owns 48% of Rumble, according to data compiled by LSEG.
As part of the agreement, Rumble secured a $150 million GPU-leasing deal with Tether, ensuring consistent demand for computing power while deepening its ties to the cryptocurrency sector. Tether will also serve as an anchor customer for the merged company, providing additional revenue stability.
Rumble has committed $200 million in tax liability support to Northern Data as part of the merger’s financial structure. The acquisition will also see Rumble gain control of approximately 22,400 Nvidia graphics processing units (GPUs) upon closing — a move that significantly boosts its AI processing capabilities. With Nvidia chips being the backbone of AI computation, the acquisition positions Rumble among a small group of companies with access to large-scale GPU infrastructure at a time when global demand for AI chips far exceeds supply.
This isn’t Rumble’s first attempt at acquiring Northern Data. In August, the company had proposed an initial offer of 2.319 shares for each Northern Data share, seeking control over its Taiga and Ardent divisions. However, that proposal was revised as the two sides renegotiated terms in response to shifting market valuations and Northern Data’s internal review of its business segments.
Northern Data, headquartered in Frankfurt, had withdrawn its annual forecast in October amid uncertainty in the GPU pricing market and rising operational costs. The company said it was exploring “strategic alternatives” at the time, including potential mergers or divestitures. It also confirmed that it would pay its shareholders $200 million in cash if it successfully completes the sale of its Corpus Christi data center before the Rumble transaction closes.
The acquisition marks an evolution from Rumble’s identity as a politically charged video platform to a diversified tech company with ambitions in artificial intelligence, cloud infrastructure, and distributed computing. The deal comes at a time when AI-driven platforms are seeking to secure independent GPU resources rather than rely on U.S.-based hyperscalers such as Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud, or Microsoft Azure — all of which dominate the global AI hosting market.
Some analysts view the acquisition as a bold but risky bet. By tying its future to AI cloud infrastructure, Rumble is seen as positioning itself to capitalize on one of the fastest-growing sectors in technology. However, integration challenges, capital intensity, and competition from established players are expected to test the platform’s long-term viability.
Still, the acquisition underlines the convergence of three powerful industries: social media, cryptocurrency, and artificial intelligence. With backing from Tether, access to Nvidia hardware, and control of Northern Data’s data centers, Rumble’s new venture could serve as a foundation for an alternative ecosystem — one that blends AI computation, blockchain support, and decentralized media infrastructure under a single technology brand.