NextDC, an Australian data center operator, is the latest such company to get hit by a growing investor selloff of AI stocks. Shares in the Brisbane-based company fell by 41.7% on Wednesday after it sharply cut its annual revenue and earnings forecast, blaming community opposition and delays to grid upgrades.
NextDC now expects to generate between 475 million and 500 million Australian dollars ($333 million to $350 million), down from a previous forecast of 615 million to 640 million Australian dollars. It also cut its forecast for earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) to between 245 million Australian dollars and 265 million Australian dollars ($172 million to $186 million)
In an exchange filing to the Australian Securities Exchange, NextDC blamed setbacks to its M3 Melbourne data center. Jemena, an electricity provider that supplies power to M3, suspended part of its improvement works last month; it does not expect to restart them before February 2027.
“Jemena has suspended parts of the network works required for the next increase in grid supply to M3 Melbourne,” Craig Scroggie, NextDC’s CEO, said in the stock filing. “Jemena has attributed the suspension to community and stakeholder opposition to the works and to the absence of local council consent pending further consultation.”
NextDC also cut its capital expenditure by 750 million Australian dollars ($527 million), and put land aquisitions and new development projects “on hold for the foreseeable future.”
Australian data centers—much like their counterparts in the U.S.—are sparking protests among local communities. Residents are worried about how data centers will affect power and water supplies, as well as worsening noise pollution.
Not just NextDC
NextDC’s share plunge caps a rough few weeks for data center and AI infrastructure companies.
On Oct. 9, Firmus—another Australian data center operator—abruptly canceled its Australian IPO, which was set to be one of the largest debuts in the country’s history. The company instead said it would raise funds through private markets. Investors were reportedly concerned about the company’s debt and the lack of a track record on data center construction.
AirTrunk, a Blackstone-owned data center operator, decided on Oct. 13 to postpone a Singapore listing for its real estate investment trust, according to media reports.
Also last week, bonds from U.S.-based neocloud CoreWeave plunged to below 80 cents on the dollar, a level that typically signals a company under financial strain. Tesla CEO Elon Musk took notice, posting “yikes” on his social media platform X.
Then, on Oct. 20, shares of South Korean cloud provider Elice Group plungedby 32% on their first day of trading. (Shares recovered on Wednesday, rising by 30%, the daily limit.)
More dominoes may be about to fall. Singapore-based DayOne Data Centers is considering delaying or cutting the size of its upcoming U.S. IPO, Bloombergreported Wednesday, citing unnamed sources. (DayOne didn’t immediately respond to Fortune’s request for comment; it declined comment to Bloomberg.)
The post Australians also don’t like data centers: NextDC shares fall 42% after community opposition stalls a grid upgrade appeared first on Fortune.
