Nebius’ Eigen AI Deal, Microsoft Contract Update Draws Buzz; Stock Gains Overnight

• Nebius is buying Eigen AI, which builds software that optimizes AI model inference.
• The stock closed 12% higher on Friday, after the company said it is set to receive $7 billion in upfront payments as part of a previously announced agreement with Microsoft.
• Stocktwits sentiment for NBIS was ‘bullish’ as of Sunday.

Nebius shares gained 4% higher in overnight trading heading into Monday after the company announced the acquisition of AI inference startup Eigen AI, its second deal this year after Tavily.

Nvidia-backed Nebius said Friday that the Eigen AI deal will strengthen Nebius Token Factory as a frontier managed inference platform for production AI, combining its optimization stack with Nebius’s AI cloud platform, and also add elite inference research talent to its team.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Nebius acquired agentic search company Tavily in February and is reportedly eyeing Israel-based AI startup AI21 Labs. 

Nebius-Microsoft Update

The momentum builds on an update regarding one of its most crucial commercial agreements, with cloud giant Microsoft. Nebius stock rallied nearly 12% on Friday, its best intraday move in over a month, after the company disclosed in its annual report that it is set to receive $7 billion as upfront payment from Microsoft as part of their $17 billion deal.

Nebius’ 13-F fling said: “Subject to the satisfaction of deployment and availability of the Microsoft GPU Services, Microsoft has committed to pay up to $17,392.9 (million)... including aggregate upfront payments of approximately $6,958.1 (miilion), with the remaining consideration invoiced monthly over the service terms of the respective tranches through October 2031.”

“The Group delivered the first tranche (of computing capacity) to Microsoft in November 2025 and the second tranche in February 2026.”

Nebius’ Microsoft deal, signed last September, is widely seen as a test for the company after its pivot to a pure-play AI infrastructure company from a broader tech holding post its split from Russia’s Yandex. 

In March, Nebius announced a $27-billion contract win with Meta Platforms and a $2 billion investment from Nvidia. The developments sparked a sharp rally in NBIS stock, adding to the strong momentum in cloud and AI names and pushing the stock to the top of retail investors’ watchlists.

NBIS Draws Retail Buzz 

NBIS featured among the trending stocks on Stocktwits on Sunday, with traders taking note of the latest news alongside discussing their positions ahead of the company’s quarterly report on May 13.

A trader said Nebius could have $10 billion cash in hand without sellings shares – a reference to offerings by fellow cloud emergants like IREN Ltd. which had stirred concerns.

Another trader wrote: “I just found out about this company and I have to admit I'm amazed! The current projected growth takes into consideration the 2 deals with the hyperscalers, but is it possible to add a 3rd one in the next 1-2-3 years?” 

On Stocktwits, the retail sentiment for NBIS climbed higher over the past week and was ‘bullish’ on Sunday. The stock is up 85% already in 2026.  

For updates and corrections, email newsroom[at]stocktwits[dot]com.

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