CFTC seeks public input on futures contracts for AI computing power

The Commodity Futures Trading Commission is gearing up to ask the public what it thinks about futures contracts tied to AI computing power. The CFTC sent a draft request for comment to the White House’s Office of Management and Budget for review in mid-August 2026. Once the OMB clears it, a public comment period of 30 to 60 days will follow.

What the contracts actually look like

CME Group announced on August 11, 2026, that it plans to launch two futures contracts on October 5, 2026, built in partnership with Silicon Data, a GPU market intelligence firm.

The products are called the Silicon Data H100 Rental Index Futures and the Silicon Data B200 Rental Index Futures. They track hourly rental prices for Nvidia’s H100 and B200 GPUs, respectively.

Each contract represents one month’s worth of computing power.

The 30 to 60 day comment window could potentially push back CME Group’s planned October 5 launch date if the CFTC receives feedback that requires additional review or contract modifications.

Why the CFTC cares

The CFTC’s role here isn’t just rubber-stamping a new product. The commission oversees US derivatives markets, and any new futures contract that trades on a regulated exchange falls under its jurisdiction. The public comment process is designed to surface concerns about market structure, liquidity, and potential manipulation risks before trading actually begins.

GPU rental rates, while increasingly tracked by firms like Silicon Data, don’t yet have the decades of pricing infrastructure that oil or corn enjoy. The CFTC wants to understand whether the reference prices these contracts rely on are robust enough to prevent gaming.

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