USD.AI Raises $13.4M to Scale AI Infrastructure

At USD.AI, our mission is simple: scale the next wave of artificial intelligence by unlocking faster, more accessible financing for builders. Today, we’re excited to announce that we’ve raised a **$13 million Series A round**, led by **Framework Ventures**, with participation from Dragonfly, Arbitrum, Big Brain Holdings, CMT Digital, Hermeneutic Investments, FWL Capital, and Flowdesk.

This funding marks a major step toward bringing a new category of financing to AI infrastructure: a **yield-bearing stablecoin backed by GPU hardware**.

Why AI Needs New Financing Models

The demand for AI infrastructure is exploding. Global spend is projected to reach $6.7 trillion by 2030, with early-stage AI companies outside the “hyperscaler” tier expected to invest $2.9 trillion in the same period.

But while giants like OpenAI, Google, and Meta can tap into Wall Street banks and multi-billion-dollar leases, smaller AI companies are left behind. Traditional financing is slow, restrictive, and often inaccessible—loan minimums are typically set at $20M+, and approvals can drag on for months.

That’s where USD.AI comes in.

Turning GPUs Into On-Chain Collateral

We’ve built a new synthetic dollar protocol that treats GPUs like commodities. Instead of evaluating pitch decks or revenue projections, our model looks at the hardware itself—its specs, warranties, and rental history—to issue loans programmatically.

This brings the efficiency and transparency of DeFi to AI credit markets, cutting origination times by over 90%. Loans that once took months now clear in under 7 days.

As David Choi, Co-Founder and CEO of Permian Labs (the developers behind USD.AI), explains:

“No guesswork, and no service terms. If you meet the protocol’s standards, you get a loan, fast. We think the era of gatekept capital is ending, and USD.AI can unlock funding for the long tail, enabling entirely new ecosystems to emerge. Even CoreWeave was small once.”

How It Works

USD.AI is made up of three key components:

• USDai – a stablecoin designed for deep liquidity
• sUSDai – a yield-bearing stablecoin, backed by less-liquid compute assets
• The Yield System – structured like a high-yield bond index, targeting 15–25% APR

By holding sUSDai, users take on redemption risk and in return earn yield from hardware-backed loans. This creates a two-sided market where investors gain exposure to AI infrastructure growth while builders get the financing they need.

Backing From Framework Ventures

Our lead investor, Framework Ventures, sees the parallels between today’s AI infrastructure race and other capital-intensive industries of the past.

“We see this as one of the most capex-hungry sectors since the oil boom,” said Vance Spencer of Framework. “Crypto is uniquely suited for this moment. We believe USD.AI can massively open up access to financing for early-stage AI companies, while at the same time giving investors compelling new ways to gain exposure to growth in the AI industry.”

What’s Next

USD.AI is already supporting $50M in private beta deposits and originating loans faster than ever before. To continue scaling responsibly, we’ve built stackable DeFi primitives with institutional-grade risk structuring, ensuring efficient and distributed risk management.

Following our public launch, we’ll also be hosting a community-driven ICO. This won’t be a traditional token sale—instead, it will feature a game where users can bid for ICO allocations by minting and using USDai in DeFi.

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About USD.AI

USD.AI is the stablecoin scaling AI infrastructure. Through its USDai and sUSDai offerings, the protocol provides fast, asset-backed loans to the long tail of AI builders. By collateralizing GPUs and applying programmatic lending models, USD.AI delivers transparent, scalable financing without the bottlenecks of traditional credit. The protocol was developed by Permian Labs, Inc., a Delaware corporation.