Applied Digital's multi-megawatt AI lease pipeline squares off against Vertiv's end-to-end power and cooling stack in a high-stakes data center race.
Applied Digital (APLD) is transitioning from speculative data-center operator to a hyperscale AI infrastructure landlord, underpinned by $16 billion in contracted lease revenue. APLD's power-cost advantage, modular campus model, and lessons from Polaris Forge drive scalable, repeatable AI factory deployments with strong long-term cash flow visibility. Despite GAAP losses, APLD's revenue surged 250% YoY to $126.6M, with stable lease income replacing volatile crypto hosting, improving earnings quality and predictability.
Applied Digital ramps up on-site power and advanced cooling to ease AI bottlenecks, aiming to speed campus energisation and boost compute density.
Applied Digital's powerful rally is backed by long-term leases and liquidity strength, but the stock now trades at a sharp premium.
Applied Digital (NASDAQ: APLD) is a digital infrastructure firm specializing in the design, construction, and operation of AI-first data centers and high-performance computing (HPC) facilities. On Friday, February 6, 2026, APLD stock skyrocketed over 25% after the revelation of $50 million in senior secured financing allocated for the construction of the Polaris Forge 2 data center.
Artificial intelligence data centers could see $7 trillion in investment by 2030, according to a new McKinsey report. Applied Digital's debt has exploded as it attempts to capitalize on the enormous opportunity.
Applied Digital was one of the top stocks of 2025, returning some 221%. It has surged another 41% through the first month of 2026.
The shares of AI data center giant Applied Digital Corp (NASDAQ:APLD) are down 8.3% to trade at $28.91 at last check, a dismal outlook from semiconductor giant Qualcomm (QCOM) and increased AI spending at Alphabet (GOOGL) spooking traders.
Applied Digital delivered Q2 '26 results exceeding expectations, with revenue up 250% YoY and losses narrowing, reinforcing my Buy rating. APLD's valuation remains elevated at 28x forward sales, driven by AI sector momentum and long-term hyperscaler contracts, but speculative elements persist. Expansion is accelerating with the Delta Forge 1 campus, targeting 900 MW total capacity and aiming for $1B in NOI by 2031, supported by ample liquidity.
Iren announced a deal with Microsoft worth $9.7 billion recently. Applied Digital's backlog grew to $16 billion.
Applied Digital (APLD) stock has greatly surpassed its competitors over the last year. However, a closer examination of this data center and cryptocurrency infrastructure company indicates substantial revenue growth but ongoing unprofitability, marked by severely negative operating and free cash flow margins.
Applied Digital ( NASDAQ:APLD ) has posted strong gains in 2026, rising nearly 68% year-to-date.