1 Major Catalyst That Could Send Applied Digital Stock Higher

Core Insights - Applied Digital is experiencing significant growth, with shares surging 295% year to date due to rising demand for data center capacity driven by artificial intelligence infrastructure [1][2] - The company is expected to announce more leasing deals in the coming year, which will act as a catalyst for stock performance [2] Industry Context - Publicly traded hyperscalers are projected to spend $350 billion on AI data centers this year, while McKinsey estimates a need for $6.7 trillion globally by 2030 to meet compute power demands [4] - Current lead times for new data centers are at least five years, creating urgency for hyperscalers to secure immediate capacity [5] Company Developments - Applied Digital has signed a long-term lease with CoreWeave for its Polaris Forge 1 campus, expected to generate $11 billion in revenue over 15 years by supplying 400 megawatts (MW) of data center load [6] - A second 15-year lease with an undisclosed hyperscaler, valued at $5 billion, was announced, with plans to supply 200 MW of data center load [7] - The company has a robust development pipeline with 4 gigawatts (GW) of data center load in active projects [7] Financial Position - Applied Digital's current market cap is approximately $7.8 billion, with a gross margin of 14.46% [9] - The company has secured $5 billion in funding from Macquarie Asset Management, which mitigates financing risks associated with construction [11] - Despite a net loss of $28 million last quarter, the company has reduced data center build times from 24 to 12 months, enhancing operational efficiency [10][11] Market Outlook - The current market cap appears to fairly value existing deals, suggesting potential upside for investors with each new lease agreement [12]