Applied Digital Corp. (NASDAQ:APLD) is one of the best strong buy stocks to invest in right now. On December 30, Northland reiterated an Outperform rating on Applied Digital Corp. (NASDAQ:APLD) with a $40 price target, establishing the stock as a top pick for 2026. It stated that the company holds a strategic position to outperform its peers next year, supported by its ability to execute on schedule, the continued demand for power by hyperscalers, and its notable power assets’ pipeline. TD Cowen Stays Bul ...

Core Insights - Applied Digital (APLD) announced a strategic spinoff to enhance its position in the AI infrastructure market by merging its cloud computing division with EKSO Bionics Holdings to form ChronoScale Corporation, which will focus on AI workloads [1][3] Company Developments - The transaction structure allows Applied Digital to retain approximately 97% ownership of the new entity, enabling it to spin out its cloud business while maintaining significant control [2] - ChronoScale will serve as a standalone platform for GPU-intensive AI training and inference workloads, allowing both Applied Digital and ChronoScale to pursue independent growth strategies with increased capital flexibility [3] Financial Performance - Applied Digital's market capitalization is currently valued at $6.88 billion, with its stock price having more than tripled in the past year, although it is down nearly 40% from its 52-week high [4] - The company is transitioning from a cryptocurrency mining operation to a key player in the AI infrastructure sector, having secured billions in long-term contracts that provide revenue visibility [5] Infrastructure Development - The flagship data center, Polaris Forge 1, is a 400-megawatt facility leased to CoreWeave under a 15-year agreement valued at approximately $11 billion, with a subsequent $5 billion deal for Polaris Forge 2 with an unnamed investment-grade hyperscaler customer [6] - Applied Digital is constructing data centers in North Dakota, where electricity costs are 24% below the national average, which is advantageous given the high power consumption of AI queries compared to traditional internet searches [7]

Core Viewpoint - Applied Digital and EKSO Bionics announced a proposed business combination to form ChronoScale Corporation, aimed at creating a focused GPU platform for next-generation AI workloads, addressing the growing demand for GPU-accelerated cloud infrastructure [1][2]. Group 1: Proposed Transaction Details - The proposed transaction involves merging Applied Digital's cloud computing business with EKSO, resulting in ChronoScale, which will focus on delivering high-performance compute solutions tailored for AI workloads [1][2]. - Upon completion, Applied Digital is expected to own approximately 97% of the combined entity, with both Applied Digital Cloud and EKSO continuing to operate independently [3]. Group 2: Strategic Rationale - The separation of the accelerated compute platform from Applied Digital's data center operations will allow both businesses to scale independently and pursue distinct growth strategies [2]. - ChronoScale is designed for customers needing predictable performance and rapid deployment, without the limitations of generic cloud environments [2]. Group 3: Financial Performance - Applied Digital Cloud generated approximately $75.2 million in revenue over the twelve months ending August 31, 2025, indicating strong demand for dedicated accelerated compute services [4]. Group 4: Future Outlook - The proposed transaction is expected to close in the first half of 2026, pending customary due diligence and regulatory approvals [6]. - ChronoScale aims to leverage Applied Digital's existing infrastructure to enhance deployment timelines and reduce execution risks as GPU demand increases [5].

Core Insights - Applied Digital Corporation (NASDAQ: APLD) specializes in AI-focused data centers and high-performance computing (HPC) facilities, with its stock increasing nearly 22% over the past five trading days and approximately 4x year-to-date, driven by favorable trends in the AI sector [2] - The completion of its first AI data center, a 100-megawatt facility in North Dakota, has provided investors with confidence in the company's ability to meet its ambitious infrastructure goals [2] - The company's current valuation is close to $9 billion, with a high forward revenue multiple of 33x, raising questions about the sustainability of its stock rally [2] Company Overview - Applied Digital develops custom-built AI data centers designed to meet the extreme power density, cooling requirements, and scalability needs of accelerated computing, utilizing liquid cooling and renewable energy solutions [4] - The company’s tailored approach gives it a competitive advantage over traditional colocation and cloud service providers, as it refines each component specifically for GPUs and high-density computation [5] Market Position - Expenditures by major tech companies on AI infrastructure are projected to exceed $380 billion in 2025 and potentially reach over $500 billion by 2026, creating a significant demand for purpose-built data centers [6] - Applied Digital is strategically positioned to benefit from this trend, constructing and operating AI/HPC campuses while leasing power capacity to hyperscalers through long-term agreements, ensuring predictable multi-year revenue [7] Service Offerings - The company is enhancing its service offerings through the Applied Digital Cloud, providing GPU-as-a-Service to enterprises, and partnering with Nvidia and Super Micro to deploy optimized GPU nodes for AI and HPC workloads [8] Financial Projections - Despite a high valuation, Applied Digital is expected to experience rapid growth, with anticipated revenue growth of around 38% for 2026 and approximately 85% for 2027, driven by increasing AI workloads [9] - The company’s multi-gigawatt capacity pipeline and dedicated anchor customers position it as a key beneficiary in the growing AI data center market [9] Competitive Landscape - The market for AI data center services is becoming increasingly competitive, with traditional hyperscalers and cloud providers expanding their capabilities, which may impact Applied Digital's margins and customer acquisition [10]

Core Insights - Applied Digital is a digital infrastructure company focused on AI-first data centers and high-performance computing facilities, with a stock increase of nearly 20% over the past five trading days and a year-to-date gain of approximately 330% [2] - The company reported first-quarter sales of $64.2 million, reflecting an 84% year-over-year increase, driven by the demand for AI data centers [2] - Applied Digital's valuation is close to $10 billion, with the stock trading at an elevated 33x forward revenue, raising questions about the sustainability of its recent rally [2] Company Operations - Applied Digital constructs purpose-built AI data centers designed for high power density, cooling, and scalability, differentiating itself from traditional data centers [4] - The company integrates advanced power systems and renewable energy into its facilities, ensuring efficiency and sustainability [4] - The Polaris Forge 2 campus in North Dakota is a significant $3 billion project expected to provide 280 megawatts of capacity, with operations anticipated to start in early 2027 [4] Market Position - Major tech companies, including Microsoft, Amazon, and Meta, are projected to invest over $380 billion in AI-related capital expenditures by 2025, creating a favorable environment for Applied Digital to gain market share [5] - Unlike traditional providers, Applied Digital builds and operates its own AI and HPC data centers, leasing capacity to AI hyperscalers and large enterprises [5] Strategic Partnerships - A notable partnership with CoreWeave includes a $7 billion lease agreement, expanded by an additional 150 megawatts, raising expected contracted lease revenue to approximately $11 billion [6] - The company is enhancing its service offerings through the Applied Digital Cloud, providing GPU-as-a-Service in collaboration with Nvidia and Supermicro [6] Growth Projections - The company is expected to experience rapid growth, with consensus estimates indicating approximately 40% revenue growth for 2026 and around 80% growth for 2027 [7] - The increasing demand for data centers tailored for GPU compute is anticipated to enhance long-term profitability [7] Competitive Landscape - The market for AI data center services is becoming more competitive, with traditional hyperscalers and cloud providers expanding their own capacities, which may impact margins and customer acquisition [8]

Company Overview - Applied Digital develops and operates next-generation data centers and cloud infrastructure, focusing on accelerated compute and secure digital hosting[16] - The company supports AI/ML, blockchain, and high-performance computing workloads[17] - Applied Digital operates two blockchain data centers with a combined capacity of approximately 286 MW[72] - The company is constructing a 100 MW HPC data center in Ellendale, ND, with plans to expand into a 400 MW campus[46] HPC Data Centers and AI Demand - Hyperscalers are projecting total capital expenditures of $335 billion in 2025[103] - HPC data centers now average 200 MW, with capacity expected to triple by 2030, driving a projected 125% rise in electricity consumption[98] - Applied Digital's Ellendale HPC data center is being built with a peak rack load of 120kW/rack[142] Macquarie Transaction - Macquarie Asset Management (MAM) may invest up to $5 billion in Applied Digital's HPC data center development[50] - MAM's initial investment is up to $900 million in Applied Digital's Ellendale HPC Campus, with over $225 million payable at the initial closing[149] - At closing, Macquarie will receive a 15% common equity interest in APLD HPC Holdings, a subsidiary of APLD[159] Convertible Notes - Applied Digital issued $450 million in convertible notes at a 2.75% interest rate[48, 171]