US AI computing power futures market launch hits obstacle, CFTC extends review period by at least 60 days.

Beating AI News Flash: According to the Financial Times, the U.S. financial market regulator has delayed approval of futures contracts tied to AI chip rental prices, dealing a setback to exchanges' plans to launch the first computing power futures market. Such contracts would allow traders to bet on the rental prices of AI chips. According to people familiar with the matter, the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has decided to extend the review period for such contracts by at least 60 days. This means that related trading activity will be delayed until at least early 2027 before it can begin. The decision has not yet been made public.

CME Group had previously hoped to launch as early as October graphics processing unit (GPU) futures contracts tied to the rental prices of Nvidia's (NVDA.O) two chips, H100 and B200. The relevant price index was designed by startup Silicon Data. The delay comes as regulators seek public comment on how to manage risks in the emerging computing power market. Currently, online trading platforms already offer spot price trading for computing power, but no public futures market for longer-dated contracts yet exists.