VNET Group Reports Strong Q2 2025 Results, Driven by AI-Centric Data Center Growth

VNET Group Q2 Revenue Jumps 22 Percent | The Motley Fool

VNET Group (VNET -3.57%) reported second quarter 2025 results on August 21, 2025, with total net revenues (GAAP) rising 22.1% year-over-year to RMB 2.43 billion and adjusted EBITDA increased 27.7% year-over-year to RMB 732.5 million, driven by a rapid expansion in wholesale data center capacity and strong AI-driven customer demand. Management raised full-year 2025 revenue and adjusted EBITDA guidance, announced a $50 million share repurchase program in late June 2025, and detailed execution progress on its long-term AIDC (Artificial Intelligence Data Center) hyperscale strategy. Key takeaways focus on VNET's accelerated wholesale growth, deployment of technology-driven modular construction, and evolving capital management approach. Wholesale in-service capacity grew 17.5% quarter-over-quarter to 674 megawatts, while utilized wholesale capacity increased 17% quarter-over-quarter to 511 megawatts, with utilization rates stable at 75.9%. Wholesale revenue soared 112.5% year-over-year to RMB 854.1 million, outpacing retail and non-IDC segment growth. Our adjusted EBITDA for the second quarter also increased by 27.7% year over year to RMB 732,000,000, with an adjusted EBITDA margin of 30.1%, up 1.3 percentage points year over year." -- Ju Ma, Rotating President "In the second quarter, wholesale revenues, our key revenue growth driver, increased significantly by 112.5% to RMB 854,100,000, mainly attributable to sales at the NOR Campus 01 and EJS Campus 03. Retail revenues continue to account for the largest part of our total net revenues, reaching RMB 959,000,000 for the second quarter." This outsized wholesale expansion demonstrates successful execution on hyperscale client onboarding while intensifying capital needs and operational complexity. VNET's adoption of standardized building modules and modular data center (MDC) technologies has shortened delivery cycles by one-third versus traditional construction, supporting the company's ability to deliver 400-450 megawatts in 2025 -- approximately three times 2024's total deliveries. Implementation has begun in Inner Mongolia, Hebei Province, and Beijing, underpinning structural cost and speed advantages versus conventional peers. "our building standardization technology utilizes standardized modules as data centers' core building units, allowing us to rapidly construct data centers tailored to diverse customer needs. This method cuts construction cycles by one-third compared to traditional construction methods. Additionally, our modular data center technology integrates various functions, including power supply systems, cooling systems, etc, into separate functional modules. These modules are manufactured and pretested in factories and shipped to data center sites for installation, which significantly enhances our installation efficiency. They can also be swapped out, allowing us to selectively upgrade only specific modules instead of entire systems, reducing improvement costs and extending data centers' life cycles." -- Ju Ma, Rotating President This technology-led construction strategy enables VNET to flexibly meet surging AI-driven customer requirements and improve asset efficiency. VNET maintained total cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash, and short-term investments of RMB 4.66 billion as of June 30, 2025, with net operating cash flow for the first half of 2025 reached RMB 562,300,000, and As of June 30, 2025, the net debt-to-trailing twelve months adjusted EBITDA ratio was 5.3. Management is ramping up CapEx to a guided range of RMB 10 billion to RMB 12 billion for full year 2025, primarily to support record data center deliveries, and has initiated both public and private Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) structures alongside a $50 million U.S. dollar repurchase authorization. "For the projects, we have been actively promoting the REIT projects. We have the public and also the private REITs. We have four to five. As mentioned, this year through the REIT project, we have to have our recovery of RMB 2,000,000,000." -- Ju Ma, Rotating President Pursuing multiple new capital channels, including REITs and share buybacks, reflects an active capital management strategy to balance growth funding, enhance valuation, and return value to shareholders even as net leverage remains elevated due to the build cycle. For full-year 2025, VNET raised total net revenue guidance to RMB 9.15 billion to RMB 9.35 billion (up 11%-13% year-over-year) and adjusted EBITDA guidance to RMB 2.76 billion to RMB 2.82 billion (up 14%-16%), noting that growth would be 18%-20% excluding a 2024 disposal gain. Management confirmed a delivery pipeline of 326 megawatts over the next twelve months, accelerated AI-centric client demand, and reiterated plans to grow managed capacity to 10 gigawatts by 2036 under its hyperscale 2.0 strategy.

VNET : 2Q25 Earnings Release

BEIJING, August 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- VNET Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: VNET) ("VNET" or the "Company"), a leading carrier- and cloud-neutral internet data center services provider in China, today announced its unaudited financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2025. "We delivered strong second quarter results thanks to continued effective strategic execution," said Josh Sheng Chen, Founder, Executive Chairperson and interim Chief Executive Officer of VNET. "Our wholesale IDC business continued to grow rapidly, driven by our wholesale data centers' fast move-in pace. In the second quarter, our wholesale capacity in service increased by 101MW quarter over quarter to 674MW, with utilized wholesale capacity growing by 74MW quarter over quarter to 511MW. Our high-performance data centers and premium IDC services continue to attract customers from various industries. In the second quarter, we secured a combined capacity of around 4MW in retail orders. Furthermore, we recently won a 20MW wholesale order through the JV project we operate in Hebei Province." "In late June, we unveiled our Hyperscale 2.0 framework, encompassing our vision for the future of AIDCs and our blueprint for growing the capacity of our data center assets under management to 10GW by 2036. As a pioneer in AIDC development, we are poised to strengthen our leadership under Hyperscale 2.0, supported by our strong fundamentals, deep industry know-how, and innovative technologies. Looking ahead, we will sharpen our competitive advantages with faster deliveries and consistently reliable IDC services as we embark on our ambitious Hyperscale 2.0 framework for building greener, more intelligent data centers for the AI era." Qiyu Wang, Chief Financial Officer of VNET, commented, "We maintained our business's vibrant momentum with strong financial results during the second quarter. Our total net revenues rose 22.1% year over year to RMB2.43 billion, driven by significant wholesale revenue growth of 112.5% year over year. Adjusted EBITDA also increased by 27.7% year over year to RMB732.5 million, with an adjusted EBITDA margin of 30.1%, up 1.3 percentage points year over year. With our effective business strategy and healthy balance sheet, we're well-positioned to lead the AIDC transformation and capture surging AI-driven opportunities, delivering sustainable, long-term value for our stakeholders." Net revenues from non-IDC business decreased slightly by 0.9% to RMB621.4 million (US$86.7 million) from RMB627.0 million in the same period of 2024. Sales and marketing expenses were RMB70.0 million (US$9.8 million) in the second quarter of 2025, compared with RMB58.2 million in the same period of 2024. Research and development expenses were RMB67.6 million (US$9.4 million) in the second quarter of 2025, compared with RMB62.0 million in the same period of 2024. General and administrative expenses were RMB212.5 million (US$29.7 million) in the second quarter of 2025, compared with RMB107.3 million in the same period of 2024. and short-term investments was RMB4.66 billion (US$651.1 million). Total short-term debt, consisting of short-term bank borrowings and the current portion of long-term borrowings, was RMB2.73 billion (US$380.5 million). Total long-term debt was RMB14.65 billion (US$2.05 billion), comprised of long-term borrowings of RMB9.48 billion (US$1.32 billion) and convertible notes of RMB5.18 billion (US$722.7 million). Net cash generated from operating activities in the second quarter of 2025 was RMB366.6 million (US$51.2 million), compared with RMB405.2 million in the same period of 2024. During the second quarter of 2025, the Company obtained new debt financing, refinancing facilities and other financings of RMB1.27 billion (US$176.7 million). The Company's Board of Directors authorized a share repurchase program on June 27, 2025, under which the Company may repurchase up to US$50 million of its ADSs, each representing six Class A ordinary shares of the Company, over the ensuing 12-month period. The Company expects total net revenues for 2025 to be between RMB9,150 million to RMB9,350 million, representing year-over-year growth of 11% to 13%, and adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP) to be in the range of RMB2,760 million to RMB2,820 million, representing year-over-year growth of 14% to 16%. If the RMB87.7 million disposal gain of E-JS02 data center were excluded from the adjusted EBITDA calculation for 2024, year-over-year growth would be 18% to 20%. The above outlook remains unchanged from the estimates the Company provided on June 27, 2025. The forecast reflects the Company's current and preliminary views on the market and its operational conditions and is subject to change. The Company's management will host an earnings conference call at 8:00 AM U.S. Eastern Time on Thursday, August 21, 2025, or 8:00 PM Beijing Time on Thursday, August 21, 2025. For participants who wish to join the call, please access the links provided below to complete the online registration process. Participants can choose between the English and Chinese options for pre-registration above. Please note that the Chinese option will be in listen-only mode. Upon registration, each participant will receive an email containing details for the conference call, including dial-in numbers, a conference call passcode and a unique access PIN, which will be used to join the conference call. Additionally, a live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available on the Company's investor relations website at https://http://ir.vnet.com. A replay of the conference call will be accessible through August 28, 2025, by dialing the following numbers: In evaluating its business, VNET considers and uses the following non-GAAP measures defined as non-GAAP financial measures by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as a supplemental measure to review and assess its operating performance: adjusted cash gross profit, adjusted cash gross margin, adjusted operating expenses, adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA margin. The presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. For more information on these non-GAAP financial measures, please see the table captioned "Reconciliations of GAAP and non-GAAP results" set forth at the end of this press release. The non-GAAP financial measures are provided as additional information to help investors compare business trends among different reporting periods on a consistent basis and to enhance investors' overall understanding of the Company's current financial performance and prospects for the future. These non-GAAP financial measures should be considered in addition to results prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP, but should not be considered a substitute for, or superior to, U.S. GAAP results. In addition, the Company's calculation of the non-GAAP financial measures may be different from the calculation used by other companies, and therefore comparability may be limited. This announcement contains translations of certain RMB amounts into U.S. dollars ("USD") at specified rates solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise stated, all translations from RMB to USD were made at the rate of RMB7.1636 to US$1.00, the noon buying rate in effect on June 30, 2025, in the H.10 statistical release of the Federal Reserve Board. The Company makes no representation that the RMB or USD amounts referred to could be converted into USD or RMB, as the case may be, at any particular rate or at all. For analytical presentation, all percentages are calculated using the numbers presented in the financial statements contained in this earnings release. The unaudited financial information set forth above is preliminary and subject to potential adjustments. Adjustments to the consolidated financial statements may be identified when audit work has been performed for the Company's year-end audit, which could result in significant differences from this preliminary unaudited condensed financial information. VNET Group, Inc. is a leading carrier- and cloud-neutral internet data center services provider in China. VNET provides hosting and related services, including IDC services, cloud services, and business VPN services to improve the reliability, security, and speed of its customers' internet infrastructure. Customers may locate their servers and equipment in VNET's data centers and connect to China's internet backbone. VNET operates in more than 30 cities throughout China, servicing a diversified and loyal base of over 7,000 hosting and related enterprise customers that span numerous industries ranging from internet companies to government entities and blue-chip enterprises to small-to mid-sized enterprises. This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "target," "believes," "estimates" and similar statements. Among other things, quotations from management in this announcement as well as VNET's strategic and operational plans, including the plan to sign a definitive agreement on a pre-REITs project, contain forward-looking statements. VNET may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its reports filed with, or furnished to, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in its annual reports to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about VNET's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: VNET's goals and strategies; VNET's liquidity conditions; VNET's expansion plans; the expected growth of the data center services market; expectations regarding demand for, and market acceptance of, VNET's services; VNET's expectations regarding keeping and strengthening its relationships with customers; VNET's plans to invest in research and development to enhance its solution and service offerings; and general economic and business conditions in the regions where VNET provides solutions and services. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in VNET's reports filed with, or furnished to, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and VNET undertakes no duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law.

VNET Reports Unaudited Second Quarter 2025 Financial Results

BEIJING, Aug. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- VNET Group, Inc. (Nasdaq: VNET) ("VNET" or the "Company"), a leading carrier- and cloud-neutral internet data center services provider in China, today announced its unaudited financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2025. "We delivered strong second quarter results thanks to continued effective strategic execution," said Josh Sheng Chen, Founder, Executive Chairperson and interim Chief Executive Officer of VNET. "Our wholesale IDC business continued to grow rapidly, driven by our wholesale data centers' fast move-in pace. In the second quarter, our wholesale capacity in service increased by 101MW quarter over quarter to 674MW, with utilized wholesale capacity growing by 74MW quarter over quarter to 511MW. Our high-performance data centers and premium IDC services continue to attract customers from various industries. In the second quarter, we secured a combined capacity of around 4MW in retail orders. Furthermore, we recently won a 20MW wholesale order through the JV project we operate in Hebei Province." "In late June, we unveiled our Hyperscale 2.0 framework, encompassing our vision for the future of AIDCs and our blueprint for growing the capacity of our data center assets under management to 10GW by 2036. As a pioneer in AIDC development, we are poised to strengthen our leadership under Hyperscale 2.0, supported by our strong fundamentals, deep industry know-how, and innovative technologies. Looking ahead, we will sharpen our competitive advantages with faster deliveries and consistently reliable IDC services as we embark on our ambitious Hyperscale 2.0 framework for building greener, more intelligent data centers for the AI era." Qiyu Wang, Chief Financial Officer of VNET, commented, "We maintained our business's vibrant momentum with strong financial results during the second quarter. Our total net revenues rose 22.1% year over year to RMB2.43 billion, driven by significant wholesale revenue growth of 112.5% year over year. Adjusted EBITDA also increased by 27.7% year over year to RMB732.5 million, with an adjusted EBITDA margin of 30.1%, up 1.3 percentage points year over year. With our effective business strategy and healthy balance sheet, we're well-positioned to lead the AIDC transformation and capture surging AI-driven opportunities, delivering sustainable, long-term value for our stakeholders." TOTAL NET REVENUES: Total net revenues in the second quarter of 2025 were RMB2.43 billion (US$339.8 million), representing an increase of 22.1% from RMB1.99 billion in the same period of 2024. The year-over-year increase was mainly driven by the continued growth of our wholesale IDC business. ADJUSTED CASH GROSS PROFIT (non-GAAP), which excludes depreciation, amortization, and share-based compensation expenses, was RMB1.06 billion (US$148.2 million) in the second quarter of 2025, compared with RMB787.3 million in the same period of 2024. Adjusted cash gross margin (non-GAAP) in the second quarter of 2025 was 43.6%, compared with 39.5% in the same period of 2024. ADJUSTED OPERATING EXPENSES (non-GAAP), which exclude share-based compensation expenses, were RMB365.6 million (US$51.0 million) in the second quarter of 2025, compared with RMB243.2 million in the same period of 2024. As a percentage of total net revenues, adjusted operating expenses (non-GAAP) in the second quarter of 2025 were 15.0%, compared with 12.2% in the same period of 2024. ADJUSTED EBITDA (non-GAAP): Adjusted EBITDA in the second quarter of 2025 was RMB732.5 million (US$102.2 million), representing an increase of 27.7% from RMB573.8 million in the same period of 2024. Adjusted EBITDA margin (non-GAAP) in the second quarter of 2025 was 30.1%, compared with 28.8% in the same period of 2024. NET LOSS/INCOME ATTRIBUTABLE TO VNET GROUP, INC.: Net loss attributable to VNET Group, Inc. in the second quarter of 2025 was RMB11.9 million (US$1.7 million), compared with a net income attributable to VNET Group, Inc. of RMB63.7 million in the same period of 2024, mainly due to the increase in interest expenses and income tax expenses. The Company's Board of Directors authorized a share repurchase program on June 27, 2025, under which the Company may repurchase up to US$50 million of its ADSs, each representing six Class A ordinary shares of the Company, over the ensuing 12-month period. Business Outlook The Company expects total net revenues for 2025 to be between RMB9,150 million to RMB9,350 million, representing year-over-year growth of 11% to 13%, and adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP) to be in the range of RMB2,760 million to RMB2,820 million, representing year-over-year growth of 14% to 16%. If the RMB87.7 million disposal gain of E-JS02 data center were excluded from the adjusted EBITDA calculation for 2024, year-over-year growth would be 18% to 20%. The above outlook remains unchanged from the estimates the Company provided on June 27, 2025. The forecast reflects the Company's current and preliminary views on the market and its operational conditions and is subject to change. For participants who wish to join the call, please access the links provided below to complete the online registration process. Participants can choose between the English and Chinese options for pre-registration above. Please note that the Chinese option will be in listen-only mode. Upon registration, each participant will receive an email containing details for the conference call, including dial-in numbers, a conference call passcode and a unique access PIN, which will be used to join the conference call. Additionally, a live and archived webcast of the conference call will be available on the Company's investor relations website at http://ir.vnet.com. In evaluating its business, VNET considers and uses the following non-GAAP measures defined as non-GAAP financial measures by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as a supplemental measure to review and assess its operating performance: adjusted cash gross profit, adjusted cash gross margin, adjusted operating expenses, adjusted EBITDA and adjusted EBITDA margin. The presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. For more information on these non-GAAP financial measures, please see the table captioned "Reconciliations of GAAP and non-GAAP results" set forth at the end of this press release. The non-GAAP financial measures are provided as additional information to help investors compare business trends among different reporting periods on a consistent basis and to enhance investors' overall understanding of the Company's current financial performance and prospects for the future. These non-GAAP financial measures should be considered in addition to results prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP, but should not be considered a substitute for, or superior to, U.S. GAAP results. In addition, the Company's calculation of the non-GAAP financial measures may be different from the calculation used by other companies, and therefore comparability may be limited. Exchange Rate This announcement contains translations of certain RMB amounts into U.S. dollars ("USD") at specified rates solely for the convenience of the reader. Unless otherwise stated, all translations from RMB to USD were made at the rate of RMB7.1636 to US$1.00, the noon buying rate in effect on June 30, 2025, in the H.10 statistical release of the Federal Reserve Board. The Company makes no representation that the RMB or USD amounts referred to could be converted into USD or RMB, as the case may be, at any particular rate or at all. For analytical presentation, all percentages are calculated using the numbers presented in the financial statements contained in this earnings release. Statement Regarding Unaudited Condensed Financial Information The unaudited financial information set forth above is preliminary and subject to potential adjustments. Adjustments to the consolidated financial statements may be identified when audit work has been performed for the Company's year-end audit, which could result in significant differences from this preliminary unaudited condensed financial information. About VNET VNET Group, Inc. is a leading carrier- and cloud-neutral internet data center services provider in China. VNET provides hosting and related services, including IDC services, cloud services, and business VPN services to improve the reliability, security, and speed of its customers' internet infrastructure. Customers may locate their servers and equipment in VNET's data centers and connect to China's internet backbone. VNET operates in more than 30 cities throughout China, servicing a diversified and loyal base of over 7,000 hosting and related enterprise customers that span numerous industries ranging from internet companies to government entities and blue-chip enterprises to small- to mid-sized enterprises. Safe Harbor Statement This announcement contains forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made under the "safe harbor" provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expects," "anticipates," "future," "intends," "plans," "target," "believes," "estimates" and similar statements. Among other things, quotations from management in this announcement as well as VNET's strategic and operational plans, including the plan to sign a definitive agreement on a pre-REITs project, contain forward-looking statements. VNET may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in its reports filed with, or furnished to, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, in its annual reports to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by its officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about VNET's beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement, including but not limited to the following: VNET's goals and strategies; VNET's liquidity conditions; VNET's expansion plans; the expected growth of the data center services market; expectations regarding demand for, and market acceptance of, VNET's services; VNET's expectations regarding keeping and strengthening its relationships with customers; VNET's plans to invest in research and development to enhance its solution and service offerings; and general economic and business conditions in the regions where VNET provides solutions and services. Further information regarding these and other risks is included in VNET's reports filed with, or furnished to, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. All information provided in this press release is as of the date of this press release, and VNET undertakes no duty to update such information, except as required under applicable law. View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/vnet-reports-unaudited-second-quarter-2025-financial-results-302535608.html