Applied Digital: Why a Surge in Bullish Bets Signals a New Era

Most investors will tell you that it pays to listen when the market sends a clear signal. On August 1, 2025, the market for Applied Digital Corporation (NASDAQ: APLD) was practically shouting. On that day, the volume of call options traded for the company surged 220.9% over its daily average, a spike in activity that caught the attention of Wall Street.

This market action points directly to a powerful story unfolding within the company: Applied Digital's fundamental transformation into an essential infrastructure provider for the artificial intelligence (AI) revolution. For a growing number of investors, this is a clear sign that the company is standing at a much-anticipated turning point, and they are beginning to position themselves accordingly.

From Crypto Host to AI Infrastructure Powerhouse: The $11 Billion Pivot

The confidence displayed by options traders is rooted in Applied Digital’s successful strategic pivot away from its history of hosting for the volatile cryptocurrency mining industry. The company is aggressively remaking itself into what can best be described as an AI Landlord. 

Instead of speculating on technology, Applied Digital is building and leasing out the essential, high-value digital real estate required by the titans of the AI revolution. This picks and shovels business model is incredibly attractive because it offers a durable way to invest in the entire AI boom, backed by physical assets and predictable, long-term rental income, much like a commercial real estate owner with a blue-chip anchor tenant.

This strategy is cemented by a landmark agreement with CoreWeave (NASDAQ: CRWV), a prominent private AI Hyperscaler backed by industry leader NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA). This single partnership validates Applied Digital’s new identity and provides the hard evidence for the bullish investment case. The scale of the deal, which was recently expanded, is immense: 

• Total Capacity: A massive 400 megawatts (MW) at Applied Digital’s Polaris Forge campus in North Dakota.
• Contract Value: Approximately $11 billion in projected total revenue.
• Contract Duration: Secure, long-term lease agreements of approximately 15 years.

This agreement provides an unprecedented level of revenue visibility for a company of Applied Digital’s size, transforming its financial future. For investors, this contract is the cornerstone of the bullish thesis and the primary reason traders are re-evaluating what the company is truly worth.

How Applied Digital Is Securing Its Future

An $11 billion contract is only valuable if a company can deliver on it. The central question for investors has now shifted from strategy to execution, and Applied Digital's management is taking clear and decisive steps to de-risk its ambitious construction plan. These actions directly address investor concerns and are aimed at ensuring the contracted revenue becomes a reality.

First, the company has fortified its financial position. Building data centers is a capital-intensive business, and Applied Digital has proactively strengthened its balance sheet. Following its fiscal year-end earnings report, the company raised approximately $270 million in new capital, providing a significant cash buffer for construction. Management also stated on its July 30 earnings call that it expects to finalize the broader project financing for the campus within weeks, which would secure the long-term funding required for the entire build-out.

Second, the company is accelerating its operational timeline. By streamlining its design and supply chain, management has successfully reduced projected datacenter build times from 24 months down to an impressive 12 to 14 months. This efficiency not only speeds up the timeline to revenue generation but also demonstrates a high level of operational expertise that can be a key competitive advantage.

This visible progress is why the market is beginning to re-evaluate the stock’s potential. When comparing Applied Digital’s full-year 2025 revenue of $144.2 million to its now massive $11 billion revenue backlog, the step-change in the company’s financial scale becomes clear. This forward-looking sentiment is being echoed by Applied Digital’s analyst community, with several analyst firms, including Lake Street Capital and Needham & Company, significantly raising their price targets on the stock, with some targets now reaching as high as $18.00.

Flipping the Switch on a New Future

The explosive surge in call options is a powerful market signal that a growing number of investors are looking past Applied Digital's history and are squarely focused on its future as a key enabler of the AI industry.

With its foundational $11 billion contract secured and clear, tangible steps being taken to de-risk the execution phase, the company is poised to become an essential landlord to some of the most important companies in technology. 

The bet being made by a growing number of traders is clear: Applied Digital is poised to flip the switch, not just on its new data centers, but on a new era of predictable growth, profitability, and significant value creation for its shareholders.

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