[Edaily Marketin YunJi Kim Reporter] A Swiss startup that leases artificial intelligence (AI) servers to businesses raised approximately 26 billion won immediately upon its founding. As prices for the high-performance servers required for AI development soar, the business model—which involves purchasing servers on behalf of companies and leasing them out long-term—appears to have attracted investor interest.

As competition in generative AI expands beyond software development to a race to secure infrastructure such as servers and data centers, demand is growing among companies that prefer to rent rather than own expensive equipment. It remains to be seen whether AI infrastructure will evolve from being merely a technical asset for tech companies into an investment asset capable of generating long-term rental income.

According to local industry sources on the 31st, Switzerland-based “AI Infrastructure Capital” recently completed a funding round of approximately 16 million euros (about 26.3 billion won). The company, a startup founded this year, secured substantial funding even before establishing a track record of initial business performance.

AI Infrastructure Capital is a leasing company specializing in AI servers. Just as airlines lease aircraft from leasing companies rather than purchasing them directly—which would cost tens of billions of won—AI companies can now use expensive servers only for as long as they need them, without having to own them.

The reason this startup was able to raise 16 million euros right from its launch is the growing demand from companies seeking to secure AI computing facilities. Developing and operating generative AI requires GPU servers capable of handling massive amounts of computation, but purchasing these servers entails enormous costs. Given the rapid product lifecycle and the significant burden of maintaining power and cooling infrastructure, a server leasing model—which reduces companies’ initial investment costs while securing long-term rental revenue—is emerging as an alternative.

The expansion of AI infrastructure investment across Europe is further boosting the growth potential of this business model. The European Union plans to invest up to 10 billion euros in public funds to establish seven large-scale AI computing facilities and attract an additional 20 billion euros from the private sector. Each facility is expected to house at least 100,000 state-of-the-art AI chips, which is projected to drive corresponding growth in demand for related servers and data centers.

AI Infrastructure Capital plans to use the funds it has secured to purchase high-performance AI servers to meet this demand. The company’s strategy is to deploy these servers in data centers powered by renewable energy and recoup its investment through long-term lease agreements with businesses. The company stated that it is already leasing out its existing server capacity through long-term contracts.

However, for the server leasing model to generate stable revenue, it must overcome the risk of technological obsolescence. Unlike aircraft or real estate, AI semiconductors have a rapid product release cycle, meaning the value of equipment purchased at a high price can depreciate quickly. The profitability of the business will likely hinge on how reliably the company can secure long-term lease agreements before new equipment hits the market.

Cédric Waldburger, co-founder of AI Infrastructure Capital, told a foreign media outlet, “While artificial intelligence is often discussed as an abstract technology, at its core lies a very concrete issue: whether there are enough servers deployed in the right locations.” He added, “We will play a role in increasing the number of servers needed in the market.”