Economic Infrastructure

Etched’s $21 billion valuation forces AI inference buyers to treat racks as contracts, not chips

Etched’s $700M round at a $21B valuation is being driven by inference economics and delivered as full racks. That changes how enterprises should procure, benchm

Meta's $12.5 billion data-center bond signals rising capital costs across AI infrastructure

Debt investors demanded higher yields on Meta's El Paso data-center bond than on a comparable deal last year, a concrete sign that financing AI build-outs is ge

Corporate Heartbeat: The Win-Win of Giving Back

Corporate giving is increasingly viewed as part of local economic infrastructure—not discretionary generosity. In the U.S., 13.7% of households experienced food insecurity in 2024, impacting millions of working families and signaling stress within regional labor markets. As cost-of-living pressures persist and metro regions like North Texas continue to grow rapidly, business leaders are reassessing…

Workforce, Housing, and Growth: How Applied Digital Is Revitalizing a Rural Town Through AI Infrastructure

As AI infrastructure spreads beyond tech hubs and into America’s heartland, companies face a new imperative: not just to build facilities—but to build trust, local partnerships, and long-term value for the communities that host them. In Ellendale, North Dakota, Applied Digital’s Polaris Forge 1 campus has become a case study in what rural revitalization…

Bridging the Digital Divide Will Depend Heavily on the Future of Rural Broadband Expansion

High-speed internet access is synonymous with economic prosperity, however, the disparity in broadband infrastructure between urban and rural communities has never been more pronounced. As the digital revolution marches on, the divide widens, leaving rural communities deep in the shadows of technological advancement. But this stark reality centers an urgent call to action, spearheaded by…

AI’s Exponential Influence: Beyond Speed to Societal Transformation

Michael Maniscalco, CTO of Applied Digital, anticipates the rapid acceleration of AI development, emphasizing that its growth is expected to be exponential and possibly beyond. Noting the surge in investments and the broad market interest, he underscores AI’s transformative potential not just in economic terms but in reshaping societal structures. Maniscalco cites examples such as…

Applied Digital Investor Day: Revitalizing Communities through Data Center Development

Richard Nottenburg, a Board of Directors member at Applied Digital, describes the company’s impactful initiative of constructing data centers in less populous areas such as North Dakota. This strategy is not only advancing technological infrastructure but also revitalizing small towns by creating jobs and attracting people back to these communities, thereby contributing to their economic…