Oracle

RENTING THE CHIPS AMERICA WON’T SELL

Oracle is renting what America won’t let it sell: the database giant agreed to lease 100,000 AI chips to China’s Tencent over five years for about $7 billion, the FT reported — a rental structure that skirts the US export ban on chip sales to China. Weeks earlier, co-founder Larry Ellison cancelled a planned sale of 50 million Oracle shares. The takeaway: the chip wall stops at the sale, not the rental — and Oracle is monetizing the gap.

1. Sep 12, 2026

   50 MILLION SHARES FOR SALE. ONE DAY LATER: NEVER MIND.

   Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison cancelled a planned sale of 50 million Oracle shares, Reuters reported on 2026-09-12 — reversing the plan just one day after it surfaced. No detailed reason was given. Filing-season theater or a changed mind, either way the shares stayed put.

   SOURCES: Reutersreported

2. Oct 1, 2026

   AMERICA WON’T SELL CHINA THE CHIPS. TENCENT JUST RENTED THEM ANYWAY.

   Tencent agreed to lease 100,000 AI chips from Oracle in a five-year, ~$7 billion deal, the FT reported — renting the compute instead of buying it. The rental structure routes around US export rules that bar selling advanced chips to China. The sharpest test yet of whether America’s chip wall can survive the lease loophole.

   SOURCES: Reuters via LaPostreported

MORE FILES

• Larry EllisonDATABASE BARON. NOW STARGATE.
• OpenAIPALACE INTRIGUE. FUTURE BEFORE LUNCH.
• TencentCHINA'S AI GIANT VS. AMERICA'S CHIP WALL.