Blackstone AI head dismisses concerns over data centre debt

Jas Khaira, the head of artificial intelligence at private equity firm Blackstone, said concerns over debt used to finance the artificial intelligence buildout are overblown. TechCrunch and Crypto Briefing both report that Khaira spoke about market jitters last week at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference. [1][2]

According to TechCrunch, Blackstone is positioning itself at the center of the artificial intelligence expansion. The firm is providing large loans to data centres and investing directly in frontier artificial intelligence models and applications. [1]

Earlier this year, Blackstone established Blackstone N1, a central hub for its artificial intelligence initiatives based in San Francisco. TechCrunch reported that Khaira moved from New York to lead the San Francisco group. Khaira noted that the transition to artificial intelligence requires far larger investments than previous technology cycles such as mobile software. [1]

An unprecedented amount of capital has been raised in the United States to build artificial intelligence data centres. By September 2026, capital spending in the sector surpassed previous technology booms, and corporate bond markets became the primary source of financing. This increased borrowing activity raised debt costs across other economic sectors. [3]