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Export control covenants in a GPU loan

What export control promises do GPU lenders take, and how far do they reach?

The Drift II facility, which finances NVIDIA GB200 systems in Norway for a Singapore customer, shows how far lenders go. Its definition of Export Control Law covers the EAR, ITAR and the AI Diffusion Rule, even though that rule was rescinded in May 2025, before the September 2025 restatement. The borrower confirms no breach and no notice of any claim against it or any customer. It must comply in all respects, and report breaches by itself, its customers or suppliers and any rule change likely to affect the GPUs. Each new customer needs the lenders’ consent, which turns on export control status. The borrower must also watch customer use for signs of a breach.

Randeep Bubbra | Lawyer | Making the next generation of infrastructure financeable · Firm profile ·

What the filed contracts say

ContractWhat the filed wording says
Nscale Drift II facilityExport Control Law covers US rules, including the EAR with the AI Diffusion Rule and ITAR, and other countries’ rules unless inconsistent with US law.
Nscale Drift II facilityThe customer is a Singapore company under an English law cloud services agreement.
Nscale Drift II facilityThe borrower confirms no breach, and no notice of any claim against it or any customer.
Nscale Drift II facilityEach obligor must comply in all respects, with no materiality qualifier.
Nscale Drift II facilityThe borrower reports breaches by the group, its customers or suppliers, and any rule change likely to harm the GPU assets.
Nscale Drift II facilityEach new customer needs the lenders’ consent, which turns on trade restrictions and export control status.
Nscale Drift II facilityThe borrower monitors customer use for compute anomalies or suspicious configurations that suggest a breach, and tells the agent.

The filed wording

"Export Control Law" shall mean (a) all applicable export control laws and regulations imposed, administered, or enforced by the US government, including without limitation the Export Administration Regulations (including without limitation the AI Diffusion Rule) and the International Traffic in Arms Regulations; and (b) all applicable export control laws and regulations imposed, administered or enforced by any other country, except to the extent inconsistent with US laws.
Nscale Drift II senior facility agreement (GB200 NVL72 GPUs at Glomfjord, Norway), as amended and restated on 22 September 2025, clause 1.1, “Export Control Law” · Nscale S-1, Exhibit 10.12

On the deal pages

Financings by the parties to these contracts

The latest debt raised by the companies that signed them, with the terms and the sources on each deal page.

FinancingBorrower or issuerDateAmount
Pre-IPO convertible loan-note subscription (initial minimum)Nscale15 September 2026US$2.1bn
Dell short-term equipment lease payment schedules (aggregate)Nscale4 September 2026US$2.54bn
North Carolina GPU DDTLNscale31 August 2026US$1.2bn
Ward County GPU DDTLNscale31 August 2026US$1.85bn
Macquarie Iceland GPU facilityNscale29 July 2026US$331.9m

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Method

Each extract is quoted from the contract as filed with the SEC, checked against the filed text when it was added; “…” marks words left out. Filers redact commercial terms, so a [***] or [*] is the filer's, not ours. The summaries describe the wording, not how a court would read it, and each contract's defined terms and other clauses can change the effect. General information drawn from public filings. It is not legal advice on any transaction, and using this page does not create a lawyer-client relationship. Views are personal.

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