Cipher Mining (US:CIFR) ZACKS·2025-12-30 16:55Core Insights - Cipher Mining (CIFR) is advancing its AI and high-performance computing (HPC) expansion through long-term contracts and a rapidly scaling pipeline, reshaping its growth profile [1] Group 1: AI/HPC Expansion - During Q3 2025, Cipher Mining executed two significant AI/HPC transactions, including a 10-year hosting agreement with Fluidstack and a 15-year lease with Amazon Web Services (AWS), securing approximately $8.5 billion in contracted lease payments, with revenues expected to start in 2026 [2][9] - The company has successfully grown its contracted AI hosting capacity from zero to 544 MW in a single quarter, while maintaining a development pipeline of 3.2 GW extending through 2029 and beyond [3][9] Group 2: Revenue Growth and Estimates - AI revenues are anticipated to ramp up primarily from 2026, with a Zacks Consensus Estimate projecting a 15.69% revenue growth for that year, indicating expectations for accelerating contributions from the expanding AI/HPC platform [4] - For the full year 2026, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for loss is pegged at 88 cents per share, remaining unchanged over the past 30 days [14] Group 3: Competitive Landscape - IREN Limited is a competitor with a GPU-centric strategy, building a large-scale GPU cloud platform supported by a $9.7 billion Microsoft contract, aiming for over $500 million in AI Cloud ARR by early fiscal 2026 [5] - TeraWulf is emerging as a competitor through a long-term joint venture with Fluidstack, targeting long-duration contracts valued at $9.5 billion over 25 years, although its capacity expansion is back-end loaded, likely not online before 2026 [6] Group 4: Share Price Performance - Cipher Mining shares have increased by 207.7% over the past six months, significantly outperforming the Zacks Technology Services industry's gain of 20.9%, while the broader Zacks Business Services sector declined by 7.8% [7]