CME Group and Silicon Data Partner to Launch First Compute Futures

Rhea-AI Summary

CME Group (CME) and Silicon Data plan to launch the first compute futures market later in 2026, pending regulatory review. The contracts will reference Silicon Data’s daily GPU rental-rate indices, aiming to help traders, financial firms, AI developers and cloud providers manage price volatility in the growing compute market.

AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.

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CHICAGO, May 12, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- CME Group, the world's leading derivatives marketplace, and Silicon Data, the industry leader in GPU market intelligence and benchmarking backed by global trading firm DRW, today announced they will launch a first-in-class compute futures market later this year, pending regulatory review. 

Combining the respective expertise of these market leaders, the new futures contracts will allow traders, financial institutions, AI builders and cloud-service providers to manage volatility and price risk associated with the multi-trillion-dollar compute market.

The products will be based on Silicon Data's indices, the world's first daily GPU benchmarks for on-demand rental rates.

"As the backbone of the digital economy, compute is the new oil of the 21st century," said CME Group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Terry Duffy. "Every AI model trained, every transaction cleared, and every byte of data processed runs on compute, which is becoming a fast-emerging asset class in its own right. Investors need a trusted futures market to provide transparency, liquidity and effective risk management - all of which fall squarely into CME Group's wheelhouse. We are pleased to partner with Silicon Data, the recognized pioneer in real-time GPU benchmarks, to effectively address this growing market demand."

"Compute markets today are still highly fragmented, with pricing that can vary dramatically across providers, regions and contract structures," said Carmen Li, Chief Executive Officer of Silicon Data. "At Silicon Data, we built our benchmarks to bring consistency, transparency and real-time visibility to GPU markets that have historically lacked standardized reference pricing. Partnering with CME Group brings the scale, market structure and credibility needed to help transform compute from an opaque operational cost into a more mature and risk-manageable financial market. The launch of compute futures is an important step toward giving AI builders, cloud providers and investors more reliable tools for valuation, hedging and long-term planning as demand for compute continues to accelerate."

"It has been clear to me for some time that compute will become the largest commodity in the world," said Don Wilson, Founder and CEO of DRW. "The exponential growth in spending on data centers as we move towards that reality has been hampered by the lack of a hedging vehicle. The launch of a compute futures market is an important solution to that problem that can help market participants manage price volatility and plan with greater certainty. CME Group's expertise in building resilient, trusted derivatives markets, combined with Silicon Data's benchmarking capabilities, creates an essential foundation for this emerging asset class."

About CME Group
As the world's leading derivatives marketplace, CME Group (www.cmegroup.com) enables clients to trade futures, options, cash and OTC markets, optimize portfolios, and analyze data – empowering market participants worldwide to efficiently manage risk and capture opportunities. CME Group exchanges offer the widest range of global benchmark products across all major asset classes based on interest rates, equity indexes, foreign exchange, cryptocurrencies, energy, agricultural products and metals.  The company offers futures and options on futures trading through the CME Globex platform, fixed income trading via BrokerTec and foreign exchange trading on the EBS platform.  In addition, it operates one of the world's leading central counterparty clearing providers, CME Clearing. 

CME Group, the Globe logo, CME, Chicago Mercantile Exchange, Globex, and E-mini are trademarks of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc.  CBOT and Chicago Board of Trade are trademarks of Board of Trade of the City of Chicago, Inc.  NYMEX, New York Mercantile Exchange and ClearPort are trademarks of New York Mercantile Exchange, Inc.  COMEX is a trademark of Commodity Exchange, Inc. BrokerTec is a trademark of BrokerTec Americas LLC and EBS is a trademark of EBS Group LTD. The S&P 500 Index is a product of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC ("S&P DJI"). "S&P®", "S&P 500®", "SPY®", "SPX®", US 500 and The 500 are trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC; Dow Jones®, DJIA® and Dow Jones Industrial Average are service and/or trademarks of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. These trademarks have been licensed for use by Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. Futures contracts based on the S&P 500 Index are not sponsored, endorsed, marketed, or promoted by S&P DJI, and S&P DJI makes no representation regarding the advisability of investing in such products. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. 

About DRW
DRW is a diversified trading firm with decades of experience bringing sophisticated technology and exceptional people together to operate in markets around the world. Headquartered in Chicago with offices around the globe, we trade a number of asset classes, including Fixed Income, ETFs, Equities, FX, Commodities, Cryptoassets and Energy. We are also a champion of innovation and have play a significant role in the founding of companies including Digital Asset, ErisX, Eris Innovations, Silicon Data and The Compute Exchange.

About Silicon Data
Silicon Data is the market intelligence platform for AI compute, providing the pricing, benchmarking, and financial infrastructure that underpin the industry's most critical decisions. Through real-time pricing indices, performance benchmarks, forward curves, and comprehensive market data spanning GPUs, LLM tokens, and related infrastructure, Silicon Data equips operators, investors, and enterprises with the transparency and analytical rigor required to navigate the economics of AI systems.

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SOURCE CME Group

FAQ

What are the new CME Group (CME) compute futures launching with Silicon Data?

The new CME Group compute futures are derivatives contracts tied to Silicon Data’s daily GPU pricing indices. According to CME Group, they are designed to let traders and institutions hedge volatility and price risk in the expanding multi-trillion-dollar compute market.

When will CME Group (CME) launch its compute futures with Silicon Data?

CME Group plans to launch its compute futures with Silicon Data later in 2026, pending regulatory review. According to CME Group, these contracts will offer standardized risk management tools once approvals are obtained and the new market structure is in place.

How will CME compute futures based on Silicon Data indices work for GPU pricing?

CME compute futures will be based on Silicon Data indices that track daily GPU rental rates. According to Silicon Data, these benchmarks aim to bring standardized, transparent reference pricing to fragmented GPU markets with varying costs across regions and providers.

Who can use the CME Group (CME) compute futures market and for what purpose?

The compute futures are intended for traders, financial institutions, AI builders and cloud-service providers. According to CME Group, these participants can use the contracts to manage compute price volatility, improve hedging strategies and support long-term planning for data center and AI workloads.

Why is CME Group partnering with Silicon Data and DRW on compute futures?

CME Group is partnering with Silicon Data, backed by trading firm DRW, to combine market structure and GPU benchmarking expertise. According to CME Group, this collaboration provides scale, credibility and data needed to develop a resilient futures market for compute as an emerging asset class.

What problem do CME compute futures aim to solve in global GPU and compute markets?

The futures aim to address fragmented compute markets with inconsistent pricing across providers and regions. According to Silicon Data, standardized futures tied to transparent GPU benchmarks could transform compute from an opaque operating cost into a risk-manageable financial market for investors and AI builders.