Can GPUs Be Purchased in Installments? Coinbase's B3 Labs Launches B3IQ Power Model

Author: Sea

In recent years, the most important resource in the AI era is not the models or talent, but the underlying GPUs.

The U.S. government's continuous restrictions on the export of high-end GPUs from Nvidia to China is the best proof of this.

Most companies, research institutions, and professional AI users face two core issues:

1. How to acquire GPUs;

2. Once acquired, where to place them, how to maintain them, and what to do with idle computing power?

Coinbase's startup @B3Labs has recently launched B3IQ to address these two major problems.

In short, B3IQ aims to allow enterprises, institutions/universities, and professional users to own their own servers equipped with Nvidia GPUs through installment payments.

How to Acquire?

The U.S. manufacturer Andromeda, invested by B3 Labs, assembles servers equipped with Nvidia GPUs, deployed in a 27,000 square foot data center in Oregon, USA, managed by the platform.

To use these GPU servers, there are two options: rent-to-own (30% down payment) or a one-time purchase.

GPUs are expensive AI production materials, and the "rent-to-own" model is more friendly to small and medium-sized enterprises and professional users: a 30% down payment secures the machine for use, and the remaining amount does not require cash outlay; instead, the machine earns it back. During the payback period, computing power income is split 30% cash directly to you and 70% to the platform, used to repay the remaining principal and 8% interest (custody fees are additional).

After full payment, if you continue to rent out the computing power, the profit-sharing structure reverses: 70% goes to you, and 30% goes to the platform. Users can choose to continue renting out computing power for profit or take the physical server away.

B3IQ currently offers GPU chips/servers such as H200 NVL, Workstation RTX PRO 6000, RTX PRO 6000 Server Edition, RTX 5090, and B300 to meet different levels of demand.

How to Maintain and Use Idle Computing Power?

Whether through rent-to-own or a one-time purchase, when the GPU is idle, you can rent it out to other users/companies in need through the platform to earn income. The B3IQ platform facilitates matching demand, and the income can offset the purchase price or directly become revenue.

This is what I find interesting about B3IQ's solution.

In other words, B3IQ provides a third flexible model different from "renting cloud computing power" and "building computing power". For many universities, laboratories, and AI startups, this is more predictable than long-term renting of cloud computing power and much lighter than building a data center all at once.

I checked the revenue calculator on the B3IQ official website, estimating with a sample of a 4× H200 NVL, after 28 months, users can fully own this GPU server, with a 4-year IRR (pre-tax) of 55%.

B3IQ's Clients

Not only companies and institutions in China have this demand; some U.S. institutions, although able to purchase Nvidia GPUs, also need B3 Labs' products.

This is because not all AI work is suitable for third-party cloud services/AI large models, such as medical research, internal business data of enterprises, and government/defense/military-related data involving privacy, security, or intellectual property; at the same time, there are more flexible usage needs for GPUs.

Researchers from New York University, Stanford University, Dartmouth College, and the University of Hawaii at Manoa are using B3IQ to support their AI work, including cancer research and specialized AI model training.

Some of this work even involves national-level diplomatic negotiation simulations, tasks that cannot rely on commercial AI services.

About B3 Labs

Founded in 2024, B3 Labs' founding team comes from Coinbase, receiving over $21 million in investments from institutions such as Coinbase and Pantera Capital.

Compared to its financing background, I believe the more noteworthy aspect is its entry point, which addresses a fundamental need in the AI industry.

B3 Labs aims to transform GPUs from a resource that can only be rented into an infrastructure that can be owned, operated, and generate revenue.

As open-source models become increasingly mature, deployment barriers lower, and the talent gap between China and the U.S. continues to shrink, GPUs remain a crucial battleground that cannot be overlooked.