Chip Neutral: No Silicon of Its OwnThin moat

Oracle (ORCL) — moat facet

Oracle sold its chip company and buys the same GPUs as everyone else, which pleases customers and gives up a source of cost advantage.

Oracle decided not to build its own chips, and that decision says something about the kind of moat its cloud can have. In December 2025 its chairman said Oracle was "committed to a policy of chip neutrality" and would work with all its CPU and GPU suppliers1. It sold its stake in Ampere Computing, the chip designer it had backed, for a gain of $2.7 billion2.

Q1 depreciation against cloud infrastructure revenue ($M)1,351Depreciation Q1 FY263,156Depreciation Q1 FY273,347OCI revenue Q1 FY267,388OCI revenue Q1 FY27Oracle Q1 FY2027 results release
Depreciation and revenue both more than doubled.

The trade-off is clear. Amazon, Microsoft and Google each design chips for their own clouds, which can lower their costs and tie workloads to their platforms. Oracle has chosen to be the place where customers can rent whatever they prefer, which suits customers who have already chosen a chip and do not want to be locked in.

That leaves Oracle buying from the same suppliers as everyone else. It lists the sourcing of technology components such as graphic processing units among the risks to its forward-looking statements3. Its cost of equipment is set by what those suppliers charge.

The cost of the equipment shows up as depreciation. It was $3,156 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2027 against $1,351 million a year earlier4, about 2.3 times as much5, and it will keep rising as the capacity built this year goes into service.

The Ampere sale also brought cash. Oracle received $4.9 billion from the sale of investments, primarily Ampere, in fiscal 20266, alongside the $2.7 billion gain7. It used the proceeds, like everything else, to help pay for capital expenditure of $55,663 million8. Selling the chip business turned a strategic option into a small part of the construction budget.

Neutrality is a sound strategy for a cloud that wants large customers with strong views; it is not a moat. Depreciation against cloud infrastructure revenue is the measure to follow: $3,156 million against $7,388 million in the latest quarter9, and a rising ratio would say the equipment is costing more than it earns.

Moat trajectory: Holding steady

Ampere sold; depreciation rising with capacity.

The number that tests this moat
Reported
Depreciation, latest quarter
$3,156M (Q1 FY2027), from $1,351M

The cost of the capacity; rising faster than cloud infrastructure revenue would mean the equipment earns less than it costs.

Source: Oracle Q1 FY2027 results release ↗
⚠ Threats to the moat
⚠ THREAT 01
Renting Out Chips Bought From Nvidia
Oracle rents out Nvidia chips it buys at Nvidia's prices, so the scarcity profit in AI mostly belongs to the chip maker.
References
  1. ReportedIn December 2025 its chairman said Oracle was "committed to a policy of chip neutrality" and would work with all its CPU and GPU suppliers.
    Oracle second-quarter fiscal 2026 results release, Form 8-K exhibit 99.1 - multicloud datacenters, regions, chip neutrality and new commitments from Meta and NVIDIA. — Q2 FY2026 · publ. 10 December 2025 · source ↗
  2. ReportedIt sold its stake in Ampere Computing, the chip designer it had backed, for a gain of $2.7 billion.
    Oracle Corporation Form 10-K for fiscal 2026 (year ended 31 May 2026) - financial statements and notes: income statement, cash flow, borrowings, leases, equity and commitments. — FY2026 · publ. 22 June 2026 · source ↗
  3. ReportedIt lists the sourcing of technology components such as graphic processing units among the risks to its forward-looking statements.
    Oracle first-quarter fiscal 2027 results release, Form 8-K exhibit 99.1, with supplemental tables - commentary, bookings, capacity delivered and guidance. — Q1 FY2027 · publ. 10 September 2026 · source ↗
  4. ReportedIt was $3,156 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2027 against $1,351 million a year earlier, about 2.3 times as much, and it will keep rising as the capacity built this year goes into service.
    Oracle first-quarter fiscal 2027 results release, Form 8-K exhibit 99.1, with supplemental tables - income statement, cash flow statement and balance sheet. — Q1 FY2027 · publ. 10 September 2026 · source ↗
  5. Moat Explorer calcIt was $3,156 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2027 against $1,351 million a year earlier, about 2.3 times as much, and it will keep rising as the capacity built this year goes into service.
    Moat Explorer calculation from Oracle's reported figures ($ millions unless stated; fiscal years end 31 May). Revenue lines: software support 19,804 / 19,365 - 1 = 2.3% (FY2022-FY2026); support share 19,804 / 67,357 = 29.4%; support Q1 FY2027 4,895 / 4,955 - 1 = -1.2%; licences FY2026 4,737 / 5,201 - 1 = -8.9%; licences Q1 FY2027 655 / 766 - 1 = -14.5%; licences FY2017 to FY2026 4,737 / 6,523 - 1 = -27.4%; fourth-quarter licences 1,881 / 4,737 = 39.7%. Software (licence plus support) FY2022 5,878 + 19,365 = 25,243; FY2023 5,779 + 19,426 = 25,205; FY2026 24,541 / 24,724 - 1 = -0.7%; software share 24,541 / 67,357 = 36.4%. Cloud infrastructure FY2026 18,101 / 10,234 - 1 = 76.9%; FY2024 to FY2026 18,101 / 6,840 = 2.6 times; share 18,101 / 67,357 = 26.9%; Q1 FY2027 share 7,388 / 19,345 = 38.2%; annual run rate 7,388 x 4 = 29,552. Cloud applications FY2025 14,272 / 12,934 - 1 = 10.3%; FY2026 15,888 / 14,272 - 1 = 11.3%; share 15,888 / 67,357 = 23.6%; trailing twelve months 15,888 - 3,839 + 4,219 = 16,268. Applications ecosystem revenue 18,172 / 16,651 - 1 = 9.1%; 19,383 / 18,172 - 1 = 6.7%. Hardware segment margin 2,017 / 3,084 = 65.4% (FY2026); 1,709 / 4,152 = 41.2% (FY2017); 1,903 / 3,443 = 55.3% (FY2020); 1,932 / 3,274 = 59.0% (FY2023); 452 / 774 = 58.4% (Q1 FY2027); hardware revenue 3,084 / 4,152 - 1 = -25.7%; 3,084 / 5,205 - 1 = -40.7%; share 3,084 / 67,357 = 4.6%. Services margin 1,533 / 5,743 = 26.7% (FY2026); 993 / 5,233 = 19.0% (FY2025); 698 / 3,359 = 20.8% (FY2017); 450 / 3,106 = 14.5% (FY2020); 1,104 / 5,594 = 19.7% (FY2023); 445 / 1,414 = 31.5% (Q1 FY2027); services growth 5,743 / 5,233 - 1 = 9.7%; share 5,743 / 67,357 = 8.5%; revenue per services employee 5,743 / 34,000 = about $169,000. Cloud and software segment margin 20,801 / 30,452 = 68.3% (FY2017); 23,169 / 34,101 = 67.9% (FY2021); 26,126 / 41,086 = 63.6% (FY2023); 28,514 / 44,464 = 64.1% (FY2024); 30,930 / 49,230 = 62.8% (FY2025); 34,468 / 58,530 = 58.9% (FY2026); 7,691 / 12,907 = 59.6% (Q1 FY2026); 9,358 / 17,157 = 54.5% (Q1 FY2027); segment expenses 16,850 / 8,783 - 1 = 91.8%; segment revenue 58,530 / 44,464 - 1 = 31.6%; Q1 segment revenue 17,157 / 12,907 - 1 = 32.9%. Revenue growth 67,357 / 57,399 - 1 = 17.3%; FY2022 to FY2026 67,357 / 42,440 - 1 = 58.7%; Cerner share of FY2023 revenue 5,900 / 49,954 = 11.8%. Research and development 10,272 / 5,524 = 1.9 times; 10,272 / 67,357 = 15.3%. Sales and marketing 8,274 / 52,961 = 15.6% (FY2024); 8,651 / 57,399 = 15.1% (FY2025); 8,331 / 67,357 = 12.4% (FY2026); 8,331 / 8,651 - 1 = -3.7%; revenue per dollar of selling 52,961 / 8,274 = 6.4 and 67,357 / 8,331 = 8.1. Operating margin 15,353 / 52,961 = 29.0%; 17,678 / 57,399 = 30.8%; 20,606 / 67,357 = 30.6%; before amortisation (15,353 + 3,010) / 52,961 = 34.7%, (17,678 + 2,307) / 57,399 = 34.8%, (20,606 + 1,671) / 67,357 = 33.1%; amortisation 1,671 / 67,357 = 2.5%; non-GAAP less GAAP operating income 28.9 - 20.6 = 8.3 bn. Headcount 162,000 - 141,000 = 21,000, 21,000 / 162,000 = 13%. Headcount against the fiscal 2023 peak 164,000 - 141,000 = 23,000. Hardware FY2015 to FY2026 3,084 / 5,205 - 1 = -40.7%. Amortisation Q1 420 - 202 = 218. Stock compensation plus restructuring FY2026 4,811 + 1,838 = 6,649. Americas 44,478 / 36,339 - 1 = 22.4%; Americas share 23,679 / 42,440 = 55.8% (FY2022), 33,122 / 52,961 = 62.5% (FY2024), 44,478 / 67,357 = 66.0% (FY2026), 13,711 / 19,345 = 70.9% (Q1 FY2027); Asia Pacific 7,582 / 6,750 - 1 = 12.3%; EMEA plus Asia Pacific Q1 FY2027 3,726 + 1,908 = 5,634. US long-lived assets 102,717 / 45,439 = 2.3 times. Free cash flow FY2025 20,821 - 21,215 = -394; FY2024 18,673 - 6,866 = 11,807. Capital expenditure share of revenue 6,866 / 52,961 = 13%; 21,215 / 57,399 = 37%; 55,663 / 67,357 = 83%; 28,499 / 19,345 = 147%. Property added 127,845 - 99,957 = 27,888. Q1 FY2027 operating cash flow excluding prepayments 23,103 - 11,363 = 11,740; prepayments share 11,363 / 23,103 = 49%; free cash flow excluding prepayments -5,396 - 11,363 = -16,759. Borrowings 130,105 / 87,202 - 1 = 49%; net debt May 2025 92,568 - 10,786 - 417 = 81,365; May 2026 129,541 - 31,289 - 605 = 97,647; August 2026 7,625 + 117,712 - 36,369 - 708 = 88,260. Interest 1,428 / 923 - 1 = 55%; interest over operating income 1,428 / 6,728 = 21%. Leases not yet commenced over borrowings 288 / 125.3 = 2.3 times; over total assets 288 / 303.3 = 95%. Depreciation 3,156 / 1,351 = 2.3 times. Diluted shares 3,000 / 2,823 - 1 = 6.3%, 3,000 - 2,823 = 177 million; Ellison 1,158.2 / 3,023.7 = 38.3%; pledged 346 / 1,158 = 30%. Remaining performance obligations: 664 / 138 = 4.8 times; 664 / 455 - 1 = 46%; next twelve months 12% x 638 = 77 bn and 13% x 664 = 86 bn; beyond 36 months 100% - 13% - 37% = 50%; quarterly increases 455 - 138 = 317, 523 - 455 = 68, 553 - 523 = 30, 638 - 553 = 85, 664 - 638 = 26. Targets: 225 / 67.357 = 3.3 times; 225 - 24.5 = about 200 bn; 144 / 18 = 8 times; 20 / 2.4 = 8.3 times; Q1 FY2027 revenue 19,345 / 90,000 = 21.5% of guidance. Other: total assets 303,259 - 261,759 = 41,500 in one quarter; revenue FY2026 against FY2023 67,357 / 49,954 - 1 = 34.8%; cloud infrastructure Q1 FY2027 over Q4 FY2026 7,388 - 5,787 = 1,601; quarterly steps 4,079 - 3,347 = 732, 4,888 - 4,079 = 809, 5,787 - 4,888 = 899; cloud applications share 3,839 / 14,926 = 25.7% (Q1 FY2026) and 4,219 / 19,345 = 21.8% (Q1 FY2027); dividends over support 5,787 / 19,804 = 29.2%; interest, research and dividends 4,599 + 10,272 + 5,787 = 20,658; support FY2015 to FY2026 19,804 - 18,847 = 957; US revenue share 39,835 / 67,357 = 59.1%. Trailing twelve months to August 2026: revenue 67,357 - 14,926 + 19,345 = 71,776; net income 17,087 - 2,927 + 4,760 = 18,920; diluted EPS 5.83 - 1.01 + 1.56 = 6.38; P/E 421,930 / 18,920 = 22.3; P/S 421,930 / 71,776 = 5.88 - growth rates, segment margins and line totals. — FY2015-Q1 FY2027 · publ. September 2026 · source ↗
    Method: Arithmetic on figures reported in Oracle's Forms 10-K and 10-Q, results releases and market data; operands shown in the source line.
  6. ReportedOracle received $4.9 billion from the sale of investments, primarily Ampere, in fiscal 2026, alongside the $2.7 billion gain.
    Oracle Corporation Form 10-K for fiscal 2026 (year ended 31 May 2026) - financial statements and notes: income statement, cash flow, borrowings, leases, equity and commitments. — FY2026 · publ. 22 June 2026 · source ↗
  7. ReportedOracle received $4.9 billion from the sale of investments, primarily Ampere, in fiscal 2026, alongside the $2.7 billion gain.
    Oracle Corporation Form 10-K for fiscal 2026 (year ended 31 May 2026) - financial statements and notes: income statement, cash flow, borrowings, leases, equity and commitments. — FY2026 · publ. 22 June 2026 · source ↗
  8. ReportedIt used the proceeds, like everything else, to help pay for capital expenditure of $55,663 million.
    Oracle Corporation Form 10-K for fiscal 2026 (year ended 31 May 2026) - financial statements and notes: income statement, cash flow, borrowings, leases, equity and commitments. — FY2026 · publ. 22 June 2026 · source ↗
  9. ReportedDepreciation against cloud infrastructure revenue is the measure to follow: $3,156 million against $7,388 million in the latest quarter, and a rising ratio would say the equipment is costing more than it earns.
    Oracle first-quarter fiscal 2027 results release, Form 8-K exhibit 99.1, with supplemental tables - revenue by line and region for the quarter. — Q1 FY2027 · publ. 10 September 2026 · source ↗
Sources
Generated September 25, 2026