Summary of GDS Holdings Conference Call Company Overview - **Company**: GDS Holdings Limited - **Industry**: Data Center and Cloud Services Key Financial Performance - **Q2 2025 Revenue**: Increased by 12.4% year-over-year, with adjusted EBITDA growth of 11.2% [3] - **Total Usage Area**: Grew by 14.1%, while the monthly service revenue (MSR) per square meter decreased by 1.7% [3] - **Adjusted EBITDA Margin**: 47.3%, slightly down from 47.8% in the same period of 2020 [3] - **Impact of Asset Divestiture**: Future revenue and EBITDA growth data will not be directly comparable due to asset divestiture, with an expected reduction of approximately 6 percentage points in year-over-year growth rates if not adjusted for asset sales [2][3] Capital Market Activities - **Capital Raised**: GDS raised a net amount of $676 million through convertible bonds and stock issuance to strengthen its balance sheet [2][5] - **Convertible Bonds**: Issued a 7-year convertible bond raising $535 million at a coupon rate of 2.25% with a conversion premium of 35% [5] - **Asset-backed Securities (ABS)**: Completed China's first data center ABS transaction, demonstrating the ability to recover capital from data center assets [6] Strategic Developments - **AI Infrastructure Preparation**: Despite short-term uncertainties in chip supply, GDS is confident in long-term AI demand and has begun site preparations for AI infrastructure [2][7] - **Future Capacity Plans**: Plans to develop approximately 900 MW of power land, particularly around Beijing, Shanghai, and Shenzhen, to meet upcoming AI demands [4][9] - **Day One Capacity**: Added 246 MW of customer commitment capacity, bringing total commitments to over 780 MW, with a goal of reaching 1 GW in three years [8] Market and Customer Insights - **Customer Base**: Currently, about 30% of committed power comes from international clients, with a long-term goal of achieving a 50:50 distribution between international and Chinese clients [14] - **AI Demand**: AI demand is expected to be concentrated in inference applications, which are sensitive to delays and require large-scale infrastructure [7][11] Future Outlook - **IPO Plans**: GDS plans to conduct an IPO within the next 18 months, with potential for additional funding rounds driven by business performance [12] - **Debt Management**: Aiming to maintain a net debt to EBITDA ratio around 5 times, with flexibility to adjust based on new investment opportunities [10] Additional Considerations - **Market Stability**: The market has remained stable since mid-last year, with expectations of continued low single-digit percentage declines in MSR due to contract price resets [11][12] - **Geographic Expansion**: GDS is expanding in Europe, particularly in Finland, where it has secured significant commitments from major clients [13] Conclusion GDS Holdings is positioned for growth with a strong focus on AI infrastructure, strategic capital management, and geographic expansion, while navigating challenges in the current market environment.