VNET Group, Inc (NASDAQ:VNET) is one of the best rising AI stocks to buy now. On March 5, 2026, The Star, citing Bloomberg, reported that VNET had secured a record order from ByteDance to provide about 500 megawatts of data center capacity in China. According to the report, ByteDance is seeking more computing and storage capacity to support the growth of its flagship chatbot Doubao and other artificial intelligence technologies. No financial terms or other deal details were disclosed. The reported order ...

Group 1 - IREN Ltd (NASDAQ:IREN) is recommended as a strong buy for the next 6 months, with a price target of $105 set by Compass Point [1] - The company has expanded its secured power base to 4.5GW, adding 1.6GW from its Oklahoma campus, and is advancing deployments in Canada and Texas [2] - Citizens has reiterated a Market Outperform rating on IREN Ltd with an $80 price target, reflecting confidence in the company's long-term prospects [2][3] Group 2 - IREN Ltd is pivoting from Bitcoin mining to providing high-quality data center capacity, with over 2GW of capacity available for contracts with hyperscalers [3] - The company secured $3.6 billion in GPU financing for its Microsoft contract, which, along with Microsoft's $1.9 billion prepayment, will cover 95% of GPU-related capital expenditures for a 140,000-GPU expansion [4] - This expansion is projected to generate $3.4 billion in annual recurring revenue [4] Group 3 - IREN operates data centers powered by renewable energy, focusing on high-performance computing for AI cloud services and Bitcoin mining, with a recent strategic shift towards AI infrastructure [5] - The company has established a significant partnership with Microsoft valued at $9.7 billion [5]

Investment Opportunity - The world requires an investment of $7 trillion in infrastructure to support AI adoption over the next decade, covering AI factories, compute infrastructure, and power transmission [1] Company Overview - Brookfield Infrastructure is a leading global infrastructure company with diversified operations in utilities, energy midstream, transportation, and data infrastructure, generating steadily growing cash flow [5] Financial Performance - In 2025, Brookfield's funds from operations (FFO) grew by 6%, driven by inflation-related rate increases, volume growth, over $1.5 billion in new capital projects, and more than $1.1 billion in acquisitions [5] Data Center Capacity - Brookfield operates approximately 1.2 gigawatts (GW) of data center capacity globally, with an additional 1.1 GW of contracted capacity in its backlog and land capable of supporting 1.3 GW more [7] Growth in Data Infrastructure - The data infrastructure segment saw a more than 50% increase in FFO last year, aided by the commissioning of 220 megawatts (MW) of new data center capacity [6] Strategic Investments - Brookfield is investing in innovative power solutions for data centers, including a $5 billion framework agreement with Bloom Energy, which has led to the installation of 55 MW of power and secured contracts for an additional 230 MW by mid-2027 [8]

Core Insights - Riot Platforms' shares increased by nearly 13.5% following the announcement of land acquisition and a lease agreement with AMD, indicating positive market reception to the company's strategic shift towards data centers [1][5]. Group 1: Company Developments - Riot Platforms plans to acquire 200 acres of land at its Rockdale data center site for $96 million, funded by the sale of 1,080 Bitcoins [3][8]. - The Rockdale site is North America's largest Bitcoin mining facility by developed capacity, featuring seven buildings with various cooling technologies [3]. - The company will lease 25 megawatts (MW) of IT load capacity to AMD, with potential expansion up to 200 MW, enhancing its data center power portfolio to 1.7 gigawatts [4]. Group 2: Industry Trends - Bitcoin miners are increasingly transitioning to data centers for artificial intelligence applications due to the high energy demands of mining and the saturation of Bitcoin supply [2][8]. - The data center industry is expected to grow significantly, driven by the rising demand for AI capabilities [2]. Group 3: Market Considerations - Despite the positive developments, Riot's stock trades at 54 times earnings, raising concerns about the sustainability and commoditization of the data center business [5][6]. - The future of AI and its impact on data centers is uncertain, suggesting a cautious approach for investors [6].

Core Insights - NextEra Energy has expanded its partnership with Google Cloud to enhance data center capacity and energy infrastructure across the U.S. [1] Company Summary - The partnership aims to scale multiple gigawatts of data center capacity [1]

Group 1 - The data center industry is currently focused on power capacity, which is a significant topic for growth and operational efficiency [2] - The company, Digital Realty, has approximately 3 gigawatts of operational capacity across its consolidated portfolio and joint ventures [3] - There is ongoing development with close to 750 megawatts under construction, with around 60% of this capacity already leased [3]

Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company reported fee revenue of $85 million for the second quarter, representing an 8% increase year-over-year [26] - Fee-related earnings (FRE) grew by 23% to $32 million compared to the same quarter last year [26] - Distributable earnings were negative $19 million due to a $40 million realized loss from an investment [27] - Fee earning equity under management increased to $39.7 billion, a 21% increase from the previous year [29] - The company maintained a strong balance sheet with approximately $1.6 billion in corporate assets [33] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company raised $1.3 billion in new fee-earning commitments during the quarter, a 17% increase over the previous year [29] - The flagship DB3 strategy attracted $6.9 billion year-to-date, with a final close expected to exceed $7 billion [9] - The co-investment program saw fee rates increase by 30% year-to-date, averaging about 60 basis points compared to a historical average of 45 basis points [10] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The company is experiencing exceptional demand from limited partners (LPs) to invest in the digital economy, raising a total of $2.5 billion year-to-date [6] - The built and under-construction pipeline has grown to over 5.4 gigawatts, a 50% increase from the prior year [6] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company focuses on three strategic pillars: fundraising, investing, and scaling [5] - New platforms, such as TACNOC and Yonder, have been established to address critical bottlenecks in the AI revolution [7][14] - The company aims to build predictable, recurring revenue for shareholders while addressing the growing demand for power and data center capacity [12][24] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in exceeding the $40 billion FEM target for 2025, driven by strong capital formation and investment strategies [11] - The demand for AI-related infrastructure is expected to continue growing, with significant capital deployment anticipated in the coming years [62] - The company is well-positioned to lead in the digital infrastructure space, with a focus on power solutions and data center capacity [39][62] Other Important Information - The company closed a multibillion-dollar acquisition of Yonder, enhancing its global hyperscale portfolio [15] - The company is committed to addressing the power crunch faced by customers, with a focus on developing power land and on-site dispatchable power solutions [44][46] Q&A Session Summary Question: Evidence of hyperscalers scaling up their focus on inference compute - Management indicated that they are in the early stages of inference workloads, with some customers starting to manifest these workloads in data centers [72][73] Question: How inference demand will drive financial results for Digital Bridge - Management noted that returns for inference workloads are expected to be higher than traditional training workloads, with significant interconnection capabilities being a key factor [79][80] Question: Strength in co-investment and future outlook - Management highlighted the importance of co-investment, noting that they have successfully attracted significant capital for large-scale projects, with expectations to exceed capital formation targets for the year [95][96]