SOAR AI secures up to $1 billion in equity financing to expand AI data centers across the U.S. and beyond

SOAR AI has secured access to up to $1 billion in equity financing to build more AI data centers, starting with a major project in Ohio. The agreement comes just weeks after the company signed $1.17 billion in customer contracts for dedicated AMD GPU computing infrastructure, putting it in a race to turn those commitments into operational capacity.

Volato Group (NYSE American: SOAR), which is rebranding as SOAR AI, Inc., announced the financing arrangement Monday. The agreement gives the company the option to sell shares to an institutional investor over time, with full control over how much capital it raises and when. The company is under no obligation to draw on the facility.

That distinction matters. The $1 billion figure represents potential financing, not cash already received. The company must meet certain conditions before it can begin selling shares.

The financing could help SOAR AI move forward with its Ohio AI infrastructure campus, which currently has 154 megawatts of available electrical capacity and a development plan targeting 480 megawatts. The company is evaluating additional industrial properties across the United States and overseas for future AI data center projects.

The announcement comes amid growing demand for the physical infrastructure needed to run artificial intelligence. Companies building large AI systems need far more than GPUs. They need reliable electricity, cooling systems, networking equipment, and buildings that can house thousands of high-performance processors.

SOAR AI is betting that existing industrial facilities can meet that demand without the lengthy development process of building entirely new sites.

$1.17 Billion in AI Contracts Puts SOAR AI’s Infrastructure Strategy to the Test

The financing follows a major commercial agreement signed in September.

SOAR AI’s Alignment Engine subsidiary entered into two four-year contracts with an unnamed large AI customer, totaling approximately $1.17 billion. The agreements call for dedicated AMD GPU clusters and include roughly $133 million in contractual customer prepayments.

According to the company’s September 28 SEC filing, the initial deployment will use AMD MI355X GPUs, with a contractual start date of December 31, 2026. A second deployment, using AMD MI455X GPUs, is scheduled to begin June 30, 2027.

Those contracts give SOAR AI a substantial potential revenue base, but delivering the infrastructure requires significant upfront spending.

The new equity facility provides another source of capital alongside customer prepayments and project-level financing.

“We have approximately $1.2 billion of contracted customer orders, an Ohio campus with 154 MW of power available today and a roadmap to 480 MW, and additional sites under active exploration,” said Chris Ensey, SOAR AI’s CEO.

The agreement comes with restrictions intended to limit the pace of share issuance. Daily sales are capped at $6 million and cannot exceed 10% of average trading volume. The investor is prohibited from short-selling or hedging the company’s shares during the agreement.

SOAR AI must obtain shareholder approval before issuing shares beyond the applicable 19.99% exchange limit, subject to the agreement’s terms. Sales cannot begin until the required resale registration statement becomes effective.

The company disclosed the financing terms in a Form 8-K filed with the SEC on October 9, 2026.

The structure offers flexibility, but issuing new shares could dilute existing shareholders. The facility’s headline value does not guarantee SOAR AI will raise the entire $1 billion.

SOAR AI’s strategy centers on converting existing industrial properties into dedicated AI computing facilities, a model that could offer advantages where electrical infrastructure is already available.

The company, previously known for its aviation-related businesses, is undergoing a corporate transformation. Volato Group expects its name change to SOAR AI, Inc. to take effect on October 19, subject to regulatory and exchange requirements.

For SOAR AI, the next challenge is execution. Its multibillion-dollar ambitions now depend on securing the capital, hardware, and infrastructure needed to deliver contracted computing capacity on schedule.