S&P downgrades Oracle to BBB – only one notch above junk level

S&P Global has downgraded Oracle's credit rating to BBB-, citing massive debt accumulation driven by aggressive investments in AI data center infrastructure. The report highlights a significant concentration risk, noting that nearly half of Oracle's future contract volume is tied to a single customer, OpenAI.
Why it matters
The downgrade underscores the financial instability and high-stakes risks associated with the massive capital expenditures currently fueling the AI industry.
S&P Global has downgraded Oracle's rating due to massive AI investments. The company is now only one notch away from the speculative territory.
listen Print view Oracle's rating has worsened.
Rating agency S&P Global has lowered Oracle's creditworthiness from BBB to BBB- – this is the lowest notch in the so-called investment-grade area. A further downgrade would push the database company into speculative territory. However, the outlook remains stable according to S&P.
The rating agency attributes the downgrade , published on July 9, to Oracle's rapidly growing AI infrastructure business, which is massively increasing the company's debt and capital requirements. S&P had already set the outlook for Oracle to “negative” in July 2025, warning of precisely this scenario.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in