Applied Digital quarterly loss balloons as power disruptions hit data center operations

(Reuters) -Data-center operator Applied Digital reported a larger-than-expected quarterly loss on Thursday after power disruptions hampered operations at one of its facilities in January, sending the company's shares down more than 8% in extended trading.

Dallas, Texas-based Applied Digital had warned in February revenue from its Ellendale data center hosting facility would take a hit in the third quarter after it faced power disruptions that resulted in a complete outage on Jan. 19.

"The company anticipates that as new transformers are received and installed, the Ellendale facility will target operating capacity of approximately 65%-75% of full capacity by the end of May 2024," Applied Digital said.

Applied Digital posted an adjusted loss of 32 cents per share for the quarter ended Feb. 29, compared with estimates for a loss of 10 cents, according to LSEG data.

Enterprise budgets of tech firms remain tight as they try to rein in costs and build their independent data centers, hurting demand for companies such as Applied Digital in an uncertain economy.

Applied Digital reiterated there was material weakness in the design of their internal controls and said it has taken steps to address the weakness by implementing processes that will improve the management of its financial reporting, among others, according to a filing.

The company posted revenue of $43.3 million, compared with analysts' average estimate of $51.92 million, according to LSEG data. Its net loss widened to $62.8 million, from a loss of $7.3 million a year earlier.

(Reporting by Priyanka.G and Jaspreet Singh in Bengaluru; Editing by Ravi Prakash Kumar and Krishna Chandra Eluri)