Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - In Q3 2025, the company's revenue increased by 10.2% year-on-year, and adjusted EBITDA grew by 11.4% year-on-year, continuing a healthy growth trend since recovery began last year [4] - Adjusted EBITDA for the first nine months of 2025 grew by 15.4% on a pro forma basis after deconsolidating certain data center project companies [10] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - The total new bookings for the first nine months reached 75,000 square meters, or 240 megawatts, with expectations to achieve nearly 300 megawatts for the full year, a significant increase from previous years [5] - Approximately 65% of the bookings in 2025 are AI-related, indicating a strong focus on AI infrastructure [5] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The domestic tech industry in China is at a critical juncture, with major players committing unprecedented financial resources to AI infrastructure, marking the end of a previous downturn [6] - The company has secured around 900 megawatts of powered land in tier one markets, suitable for AI demand, particularly for AI inferencing [7] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company plans to adopt a more aggressive approach to new business while maintaining financial discipline, focusing on acquiring more powered land in cost-effective locations near tier one cities [9][19] - The establishment of a data center REIT provides a competitive advantage in accessing capital and monetizing assets efficiently [8][11] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in the upcoming AI demand based on the development of domestic technologies and the ramp-up of local chip companies [7] - The company anticipates higher bookings next year, leading to growth acceleration thereafter, despite a subdued booking environment in Q2 2025 [15] Other Important Information - The CREET platform started trading on the Shanghai Stock Exchange, with units priced significantly higher than the IPO price, indicating strong market interest [10][11] - The company expects organic CapEx for the full year to be around RMB 4.8 billion, with net CapEx around RMB 2.7 billion after asset monetization proceeds [12][13] Q&A Session Summary Question: What is needed for the China market to reach an inflection point? - Management indicated strong market demand and significant investments from customers as key indicators, along with improvements in domestic chip efficiency and production capacity [18] Question: What is the new overall investment return with the CREET scheme? - The unit economics of data center investment in China are solid, with cash-on-cash yields typically around 11%-12%, and levered IRR well into the 20s [20][21] Question: Will new bookings include new powered land acquisitions? - Management stated that new bookings next year are not fully reliant on new land acquisitions, but securing additional land would enhance capacity [27] Question: What is the outlook on power quotas and potential difficulties in acquiring them? - Management expressed confidence in their established relationships with government and power companies, making it less challenging for them to secure power quotas [28] Question: What is the pricing trend and MSR outlook? - Management expects a 3-4% decrease in MSR over 2026 due to downward price resets and elevated movement levels, but noted that new build prices have remained stable [57] Question: How does the competitive landscape look? - Management emphasized that financial capability and access to capital markets are becoming critical competitive advantages, with the company well-positioned compared to competitors [60][61]
GDS(GDS) - 2025 Q3 - Earnings Call Transcript