a16z submitted a letter of opinion to the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), supporting the establishment of a regulated computing power derivatives market in the United States. They argue that such derivatives would help AI startups and cloud service providers hedge risks and reduce financing costs. a16z stated that the CFTC does not require new statutory authority, as the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA), Part 38 core principles, and Part 40 self-certification procedures are sufficient. They recommend leveraging the existing framework to support computing power price benchmarks that comply with the principles of the Organization of International Securities Commissions (IOSCO), and allowing exchanges to launch cash-settled computing power futures such as periodic futures and perpetual contracts.
