IMPLICATOR
CoreWeave raised its 2026 revenue forecast on Tuesday after its third-quarter revenue rose 168% from a year earlier to $3.66 billion, ahead of the $3.55 billion analysts expected. Its revenue backlog stood at $132.5 billion at the end of September, up from $104 billion at the end of June. The AI cloud company now has to build out that work while owing almost $47 billion in debt.
Shares rose about 5% in extended trading. The stock had lost more than 40% of its value over the past month. Rising interest rates have pushed lenders out of the market, and some CoreWeave bond yields recently topped 16%.
What Changed
- CoreWeave's third-quarter revenue rose 168% from a year earlier to $3.66 billion, ahead of the $3.55 billion analysts expected.
- Its revenue backlog stood at $132.5 billion at the end of September, up from $104 billion at the end of June.
- The company raised its 2026 revenue forecast to $13.0 billion to $13.3 billion, while its net loss for the quarter was $709 million.
- The finance chief said CoreWeave does not intend to issue additional parent-level unsecured debt through 2027 at current yields.
AI-generated summary, reviewed by an editor. More on our AI guidelines.
A higher forecast, a wider loss
CoreWeave now expects 2026 revenue of $13.0 billion to $13.3 billion, up from $12.4 billion to $13.2 billion earlier. Analysts polled by LSEG had expected $12.86 billion. The company raised its adjusted operating income guidance to $1.275 billion to $1.375 billion, a 26% increase at the midpoint over its prior guidance.
It also raised the low end of its capital spending plan. CoreWeave now projects full-year 2026 capital expenditures of $37 billion to $39 billion, against a prior range of $35 billion to $39 billion, because it expects to deliver infrastructure to customers sooner than planned.
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CoreWeave recorded a net loss of $709 million in the quarter, compared with $110 million a year earlier. Its forecast for fourth-quarter interest expense is $1.05 billion to $1.15 billion. The company has never turned a profit, according to LSEG data, and executives said they expect it to turn profitable on an adjusted basis in the first half of 2028.
Who funds the build
Chief executive Michael Intrator said in the results release that about $9 billion in customer prepayments and deposits is expected in the next three months. He told analysts that most of the capital CoreWeave needs in 2027 will come from client prepayments and from hardware partners such as Nvidia, with "a limited amount" raised from outside.
Nitin Agrawal, the finance chief, said the company plans to raise new debt tied to a set of contracts. "At current yields, we do not intend to issue additional parent-level unsecured debt through 2027," he said. He projected under $5 billion in parent-level debt financing through 2027.
"The business can execute well and still face a tougher financing environment," Joe Tigay, a portfolio manager at Equity Armor Investments, wrote in an email. "Strong demand is encouraging; the cost and availability of capital remain critical."
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The backlog is the company's own count. It includes amounts CoreWeave estimates it will recognize as revenue under committed customer contracts, subject to meeting delivery and service availability requirements.
Capacity held back
Intrator said CoreWeave is not selling everything it could. "We could sell all of the capacity that we have to current buyers that are in the queue. We are choosing not to," he said. He said bringing the infrastructure to market when it is further along should produce better economic output.
Last week, voters in the U.S., where CoreWeave earns most of its revenue, rejected dozens of initiatives on data center development. Intrator said almost all of CoreWeave's power is online or permitted and under construction. "If data center construction across the sector were to slow, installed compute becomes scarcer, and the knock-on effect is that GPU pricing may stay higher for longer," he said.
Anthropic, a key CoreWeave customer, is scheduled to debut on the Nasdaq next week. "We see that we're going to have long-term relationships with the AI labs," Intrator said.
Frequently Asked Questions
How did CoreWeave do in the third quarter?
Revenue rose 168% from a year earlier to $3.66 billion, ahead of the $3.55 billion analysts expected. The company recorded a net loss of $709 million, compared with $110 million a year earlier.
What is CoreWeave's revenue backlog?
It stood at $132.5 billion at the end of September, up from $104 billion at the end of June. The figure includes amounts CoreWeave estimates it will recognize as revenue under committed customer contracts, subject to meeting delivery and service availability requirements.
How much debt does CoreWeave carry?
The company owed almost $47 billion in debt at the end of the third quarter. It forecasts fourth-quarter interest expense of $1.05 billion to $1.15 billion.
How will CoreWeave pay for its 2027 buildout?
Chief executive Michael Intrator said most of the capital will come from client prepayments and from hardware partners such as Nvidia, with a limited amount raised from outside. The finance chief said the company plans to raise new debt tied to a set of contracts.
When does CoreWeave expect to be profitable?
Executives said they expect the company to turn profitable on an adjusted basis in the first half of 2028. CoreWeave has never turned a profit, according to LSEG data.
AI-generated summary, reviewed by an editor. More on our AI guidelines.
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Marcus Schuler
Editor-in-Chief and founder of Implicator.ai. Former ARD correspondent and senior broadcast journalist with 10+ years covering tech. Writes daily briefings on policy and market developments. Based in San Francisco. E-mail: editor@implicator.ai
