Could Applied Digital Be One of the Biggest Winners of the AI Infrastructure Boom?

Core Insights - The rapid global adoption of AI is driving significant investments in AI infrastructure, with a projected spending of nearly $350 billion on AI data centers by public hyperscalers in 2025 [2] - Applied Digital is emerging as a key beneficiary of this trend, with its high-density, liquid-cooled data centers optimized for AI workloads [3] Company Performance - Applied Digital has a robust contracted backlog of nearly $16 billion for AI data center-related revenue, including an $11 billion contract with CoreWeave over 15 years [5] - The company has also secured an additional $5 billion in contracted revenue through a 15-year lease of 200-MW data center capacity at Polaris Forge 2 [6] - Analysts project a revenue growth of 37.9% for Applied Digital in fiscal 2026, reaching $297.3 million, indicating substantial multiyear growth potential [7] Operational Strategy - Applied Digital has integrated operational capabilities with hyperscalers, providing tenant fit-out services that contributed $26.3 million in revenue in the first quarter [8] - The company has effectively managed its supply chain, reducing construction timelines from 24 months to 12-14 months, allowing for rapid capacity ramp-up [10] Capacity Expansion Plans - The first 100-MW capacity at Polaris Forge 1 is complete, with plans to expand to over 1 GW as new regional transmission infrastructure becomes available [11] - Applied Digital is constructing 300-MW capacity at Polaris Forge 2, expected to come online in 2027, with a total active development pipeline of 4 GW [12] Funding and Financial Outlook - The company has secured $2.35 billion through a private offering of senior secured notes to support its expansion plans [13] - Macquarie Capital has committed up to $5 billion in preferred equity financing, which is expected to unlock data center capacity buildout worth $20 billion to $25 billion [14] - Despite a high valuation of 39.5 times sales, the anticipated cash flows from the CoreWeave lease could lead to a net operating income run rate of $1 billion in the next five years [16]