Former AWS CEO Adam Selipsky leads $10B Helix Digital Infrastructure to build AI data centers

Former AWS CEO Adam Selipsky to lead $10B AI data center venture

Former Amazon Web Services CEO Adam Selipsky is returning to the world of cloud infrastructure as co-founder and CEO of Helix Digital Infrastructure, a newly-launched company backed by more than $10 billion. The company was unveiled Thursday by investment firm KKR, which is partnering with Nvidia, power producer Vistra, and the Kuwait Investment Authority to build infrastructure aimed at supporting the growing demand for artificial intelligence computing. Bloomberg first reported the news in April. Selipsky brings deep experience in cloud computing and enterprise technology. He joined AWS in 2005, helped build the business during its early years, served as CEO of Seattle-based Tableau Software from 2016 to 2021, and then returned to lead AWS before stepping down last year. He joined KKR as a senior technology and AI strategy advisor last September. Helix plans to develop and operate data centers and related infrastructure, including power generation, fiber connectivity and land development. The company is targeting large technology customers that are racing to expand AI capacity amid increasing constraints around electricity availability, grid access and data center construction. "Large users of digital infrastructure have an urgent need to reduce complexity and unlock new capacity," Selipsky said in a statement. "Helix combines significant long-term capital with the capabilities and expertise to deliver holistic AI infrastructure solutions with speed and scale." Appearing on CNBC on Thursday morning, Selipsky said the large hyperscalers that will become Helix' customers need help and that it's a "misnomer" that complex data center projects are easy to scale. "It is hard, and it is becoming even harder with AI and the pace of the buildouts and the scale of the buildouts," Selipsky said. "They absolutely have the capabilities to do a lot of these things in house, and they absolutely need reliable partners." He said that over 25 percent of announced data center projects are not delivering, and that's why he's in the middle of bringing on seasoned operators who can deliver for customers. KKR and the Kuwait Investment Authority are providing the initial capital backing for the venture. Nvidia is joining as a founding investor and strategic partner, while Vistra will serve as Helix's preferred power provider. Waldemar Szlezak, KKR's global head of digital infrastructure, will serve as chief investment officer. The company said it plans to bring in additional institutional investors over time. The launch comes as demand for AI computing continues to drive massive investment in data centers, power generation, and other infrastructure needed to support increasingly sophisticated AI systems. it also comes at a time of growing public concern over data center construction in many communities, including the City of Seattle which just instituted a one year emergency ban on major data centers. We've reached out to Helix for additional comment, and we will update this post as we learn more.

Helix launches with $10B+ in funding to build AI infrastructure

An investor consortium today launched a venture called Helix Digital Infrastructure Inc. to build artificial intelligence data centers for hyperscalers. The company's backers include KKR, the Kuwait Investment Authority, Nvidia Corp. and Vistra Corp., a major energy utility. The group has provided Helix with more than $10 billion worth of long-term capital commitments. The company plans to bring in additional investors down the line. Helix is led by former Amazon Web Services Inc. Chief Executive Officer Adam Selipsky. Waldemar Szlezak, the global head of digital infrastructure at KKR, is the company's Chief Investment Officer. Helix plans to build data centers using Nvidia DSX, an expansive suite of technologies for building large-scale AI clusters. It includes blueprints that describe how to integrate the chipmaker's graphics cards with third-party hardware. A simulation tool enables engineers to test their data center designs before deploying them. Another software component, DSX OS, automates several day-to-day infrastructure maintenance tasks. Helix has named Nvidia as a strategic partner. The chipmaker will help it with AI infrastructure deployment tasks. Vistra, the energy company that contributed to Helix's 10-figure funding haul, will be its preferred power provider. The utility operates electricity generation facilities with aggregate capacity of about 44 gigawatts. Helix plans to position itself as a one-stop-shop infrastructure provider. It will invest in not only data centers but also fiber-optic network links, energy infrastructure and related assets. Helix's energy investments will span electricity generation facilities and transport infrastructure such as power lines. "Large users of digital infrastructure have an urgent need to reduce complexity and unlock new capacity," said Selipsky. "Helix combines significant long-term capital with the capabilities and expertise to deliver holistic AI infrastructure solutions with speed and scale." The decision to launch the venture may have partly been motivated by the string of multibillion-dollar deals that AI data center builders signed in the past year. In April, CoreWeave Holdings Inc. won a $21 billion contract to provide cloud capacity for Meta Platforms Inc. through 2032. A few weeks earlier, Nebius Group NV inked a similar $27 billion infrastructure deal with the Facebook parent. Microsoft Corp., meanwhile, has committed to purchasing $14.7 billion worth of graphics card capacity from Nscale Global Holdings Ltd. CoreWeave not only builds infrastructure for hypescalers but also operates its own public cloud. Helix may take a similar approach. Additionally, it's possible the company will seek to use its considerable capital pool to develop custom data center technologies that can give it a technical edge over rivals.

KKR launches $10 billion AI infrastructure company with Nvidia, Vistra

The Kuwait Investment Authority, ⁠AI ⁠chip giant Nvidia and utility firm Vistra are anchor investors in the company, called Helix Digital Infrastructure, which is led by former Amazon Web Services CEO Adam Selipsky. A KKR-led group on Thursday launched a new company with more than $10 billion in committed capital to finance the build-out of AI infrastructure, the latest effort by an alternative asset manager to capitalize on growing demand for AI services. The Kuwait Investment Authority, ⁠AI ⁠chip giant Nvidia and utility firm Vistra are anchor investors in the company, called Helix Digital Infrastructure, which is led by former Amazon Web Services CEO Adam Selipsky. A surge in U.S. data-center construction has strained power supply and sparked a shortage of electronics components, slowing development ⁠of facilities key to Big Tech's AI ambitions. That, along with growing costs of the projects, is making ⁠private equity a funding source for the industry. Apollo and Blackstone said on Tuesday they would finance a $35 billion expansion of AI capacity for Anthropic using Broadcom's custom chips as part of a new tie-up. Nvidia will help Helix with its expertise in designing AI data-centers, while Vistra will be the preferred power provider. Helix can add additional institutional investors after the founding commitments are closed, said KKR, whose infrastructure platform ⁠manages over $100 billion in assets, including more than $70 billion across digital and power. "Large users of digital infrastructure have an urgent need to reduce complexity and unlock new capacity," Selipsky said. He stepped down as the AWS chief in May 2024, after doubling the division's sales and operating profit since being appointed in 2021.

AWS' Former CEO Launches New AI Infrastructure Startup Helix Digital, Backed By Nvidia And $10B In Capital

"The AI era will require a new generation of infrastructure. We're building it," said Adam Selipsky, the former CEO of AWS and now new CEO of startup Helix Digital Infrastructure. Former AWS CEO Adam Selipsky has been appointed the new CEO of Helix Digital Infrastructure, a startup aimed at delivering integrated infrastructure and power solutions for hyperscalers with over $10 billion of capital at launch, including backing from Nvidia. "The AI era will require a new generation of infrastructure. We're building it," said Adam Selipsky in a LinkedIn post Thursday. "Helix brings a new approach to infrastructure delivery, integrating data centers, power, and connectivity to help hyperscalers meet accelerating AI demand with greater speed, scale, and certainty," he said. New York City-based Helix was created by investment firm giant KKR. [Related: OpenAI 5 Huge Hires From Google, Meta, OpenClaw And ServiceNow In 2026] The startup looks to serve as a single coordination point for hyperscalers' data centers, power generation and transmission, connectivity and related infrastructure. Selipsky said large customers and users of digital infrastructure have an urgent need to reduce complexity and unlock new capacity. Selipsky was critical in helping AWS increase sales to a $100 billion annual run rate and drove innovation, particularly around AI, in his three years as CEO from 2021 to 2024. Nvidia Backing; Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Weighs-In On Helix Founded with investments from investors KKR, the Kuwait Investment Authority, Nvidia and Vistra, Helix has more than $10 billion in total long-duration capital commitments. Nvidia will serve as a partner to support the deployment of Nvidia DSX AI factory-aligned infrastructure with a view to maximizing tokens per watt, achieving lowest total cost of ownership and accelerating time to first token for investments pursued by Helix. "AI is driving the largest infrastructure buildout in modern history," said Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang in a statement. "With the Nvidia DSX platform and the Helix strategic partnership, we are bringing together a proven AI factory blueprint, world-class infrastructure expertise from KKR, and long-term capital to help AI cloud providers build the next generation of intelligence infrastructure," Huang said. Vistra, a leading integrated power generation and electricity company with operations across 18 states, is the preferred power provider for Helix investments. Helix Targets AWS, Google And Microsoft The term hyperscalers refers to Selipsky's former employer, AWS, as well as its rivals Google and Microsoft. "In my 15 years helping build a $100 billion revenue business and scale cloud infrastructure with AWS, I saw firsthand what happens when demand for compute outpaces the physical infrastructure behind it," said Selipsky. Helix is supported by KKR's infrastructure platform, which includes over $100 billion in infrastructure assets under management and more than $70 billion invested across digital and power assets. The company said it will seek to invest in and manage assets key to enabling AI, including hyperscale data center development and operations; baseload and flexible power generation; transmission and distribution infrastructure; and fiber and connectivity infrastructure, among other assets, according to the company. "Data centers, power, and connectivity have all too often been built on separate tracks. In the unprecedented infrastructure build-out of the AI era, that fragmentation has become an industry-wide bottleneck. This is slowing down the benefits of AI for enterprises, startups, governments, non-profits, and citizens worldwide," Selipsky said. One executive from an AWS partner said he isn't surprised Selipsky landed the leadership job at an AI infrastructure firm. "Adam knows AI and infrastructure just about better than anyone. He also has relationships with large customers and AWS," said the executive, who declined to be identified due to just learning about the news. "This just makes sense that he would lead a company, backed by billions of dollars, to help cloud and big companies with AI." The executive said with backing from Nvidia, Helix could become a major player in the AI era over the next few years. "I'm sure it's going to take [Helix] a bit to get off the ground, but it could get [customers] faster than typical startups because (of) who's running it," he said. "I don't see anything from a channel angle yet. ... Any time someone with as much weight as Adam becomes the head of a company, people take notice." Adam Selipsky's AWS Career Selipsky was one of the first vice presidents AWS hired in 2005. He spent 11 years leading AWS sales, marketing and support before leaving to become CEO of Tableau. He left Tableau in 2021 to rejoin AWS as CEO after former CEO Andy Jassy was promoted to CEO of parent company Amazon. He was critical in helping drive AWS AI strategy and increased sales to a $100 billion annual run rate. After leaving AWS in 2024, Selipsky joined KKR as its leading technology advisor in September 2025.

KKR launches US$10 billion AI infrastructure company with Nvidia, Vistra

A KKR-led group on Thursday launched a new company with more than US$10 billion in committed capital to finance the build-out of AI infrastructure, the latest effort by an alternative asset manager to capitalize on growing demand for AI services. The Kuwait Investment Authority, AI chip giant Nvidia and utility firm Vistra are anchor investors in the company, called Helix Digital Infrastructure, which is led by former Amazon Web Services CEO Adam Selipsky. A surge in U.S. data-centre construction has strained power supply and sparked a shortage of electronics components, slowing development of facilities key to Big Tech's AI ambitions. That, along with growing costs of the projects, is making private equity a funding source for the industry. Apollo and Blackstone said on Tuesday they would finance a $35 billion expansion of AI capacity for Anthropic using Broadcom's custom chips as part of a new tie-up. Nvidia will help Helix with its expertise in designing AI data-centres, while Vistra will be the preferred power provider. Helix can add additional institutional investors after the founding commitments are closed, said KKR, whose infrastructure platform manages over $100 billion in assets, including more than $70 billion across digital and power. "Large users of digital infrastructure have an urgent need to reduce complexity and unlock new capacity," Selipsky said. He stepped down as the AWS chief in May 2024, after doubling the division's sales and operating profit since being appointed in 2021.

KKR, Nvidia, Vistra and Kuwait to Launch New AI Infrastructure Company

KKR, Kuwait Investment Authority, Nvidia and Vistra are collaborating to launch Helix Digital Infrastructure, a new company designed to provide infrastructure for AI hyperscalers. Helix will "serve as a single coordination point for hyperscalers' data centers, power, connectivity and related needs," KKR said Thursday. The new company has more than $10 billion in long-duration capital commitments to date. Following the closing of founding commitments, Helix is open to additional institutional investors. Nvidia will support the deployment of its DSX AI factory-aligned infrastructure, while energy company Vistra will provide power. Helix will be led by Adam Selipsky, a former chief executive of Amazon Web Services. KKR's global head of digital infrastructure, Waldemar Szlezak, will serve as Helix's chief investment officer. As demand for AI climbs, hyperscalers such as Anthropic, Google and Meta are looking for infrastructure that ties in all their needs. "Large users of digital infrastructure have an urgent need to reduce complexity and unlock new capacity," Selipsky said. Helix will aim to invest in and manage assets related to AI, including hyperscale data center development and operations, power generation, and fiber and connectivity infrastructure.