Missed Nvidia in 2009? This Rare Signal Is Flashing Again.\u00a0In 2009, a “Double Down” signal flashed for a little-known chipmaker called Nvidia.\u00a0For the first time in years, that same “Total Conviction” signal is flashing for a company 1\/100th the size of Nvidia.\u00a0Continue \u00bb<\/a> <\/p>\n This is obviously good news for neocloud providers like Nebius (NASDAQ: NBIS), which build these data centers. However, there are a few key catalysts that investors may not be anticipating. <\/p>\n When Nebius reported Q2 earnings, it told investors that its revenue jumped by 454% year-over-year to $582 million. Annual recurring revenue<\/a> reached $3 billion, and it’s aiming for $7 billion to $9 billion in annual recurring revenue by the end of the year. <\/p>\n While annual recurring revenue is a good gauge for determining a stock’s fair price, investors should also consider the multigigawatt pipeline. Since Huang set $50 billion to $60 billion as the range for a 1-gigawatt facility, Nebius’ projected five gigawatts of contracted power by the end of 2026 can be worth up to $300 billion when all of the facilities are finished. <\/p>\n That doesn’t mean Nebius should immediately have a $300 billion market cap. However, the data centers offer significant value that goes well beyond the annual recurring revenue that they can generate. <\/p>\n Neoclouds got additional leverage with raising capital <\/p>\n Neoclouds have a compelling opportunity, but high capital costs have been the major weakness. Huang pegging the cost of a 1-gigawatt facility at $50 billion to $60 billion can actually solve that problem, especially if the value of these facilities continues to climb. <\/p>\n Neoclouds like Nebius have been taking customer prepayments to help fund these builds. If people place a higher valuation on a 1-gigawatt facility, Nebius can ask for additional money up front, which goes toward site construction. <\/p>\n Nebius told investors in its Q2 shareholder letter that the annual contract value of a single megawatt stood at $12 million at the start of the year. Q2 deals have exceeded $20 million per year, and the company has been negotiating short-term Q3 deals that are above $40 million per megawatt. <\/p>\n Story Continues <\/p>\n It’s reached the point where 50% to 60% of Nebius’ capital expenditures have been self-financed by prepayments. That’s part of the reason Nebius ended the quarter with an $8 billion cash position. As the value of megawatts and data centers increases, Nebius can get even more prepayments that reduce the necessity of shareholder dilution. <\/p>\n Data centers can be financed in the future <\/p>\n Although prepayments are an excellent funding source, they haven’t been enough for Nebius and other neoclouds. However, the data centers themselves can cover the gap if lenders are willing to let neoclouds borrow against them. <\/p>\n Iren (NASDAQ: IREN) CEO Dan Roberts said that prepayments can keep up with most of the neocloud’s capital expenditures. However, the company also said that its entire data center portfolio remains unencumbered. Iren can theoretically raise billions of dollars just by taking out loans against its facilities, and the same applies to Nebius. GPU-backed financing has been the popular route for both of these companies. <\/p>\n There’s no need to finance the data centers if prepayments, GPU-backed financing, and realized revenue are enough to keep up with expenses. However, it’s an extra resource that will make it easier to fund additional projects. <\/p>\n One of the bearish points for neoclouds is how they are going to raise all of the necessary capital for the data center buildouts. A focus on prepayments and GPU-backed financing has mostly answered that question, but data center financing serves as an extra funding source if needed. <\/p>\n Should you buy stock in Nebius Group right now? <\/p>\n Before you buy stock in Nebius Group, consider this: <\/p>\n The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the\u00a010 best stocks<\/a> for investors to buy now\u2026 and Nebius Group wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. <\/p>\n Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004… if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation,\u00a0you’d have $421,997!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005… if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,413,876!* <\/p>\n Now, it’s worth noting\u00a0Stock Advisor’s total average return is 978% \u2014 a market-crushing outperformance compared to 213% for the S&P 500.\u00a0Don’t miss the latest top 10 list, available with\u00a0Stock Advisor, and join an investing community built by individual investors for individual investors. <\/p>\n See the 10 stocks \u00bb<\/a> <\/p>\n *Stock Advisor returns as of September 7, 2026. <\/p>\n Marc Guberti<\/a> has positions in Iren. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Nvidia. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy<\/a>. <\/p>\n<\/a> Image source: Getty Images Annual recurring revenue isn’t the only way to value AI data center providers <\/p>\n