The Potential and Challenges of Coal's Revival
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: May 17 2026
0mins
Source: CNBC
- Surging Market Demand: Babcock & Wilcox (B & W) currently holds a $2.7 billion backlog, with $2.4 billion stemming from its partnership with Applied Digital, indicating a robust growth in power demand driven by the data center boom, which may lead to a revival of coal.
- Significant Stock Performance: B & W's stock has surged 244% over the past year, rising from below $1 to $21, reflecting optimistic market expectations for its future growth potential, despite facing controversies related to Applied Digital.
- Policy Support for Coal: President Trump and the Energy Secretary are actively working to prevent the closure of coal plants, viewing coal as a vital national security resource, which could provide new business opportunities for companies like B & W, despite ongoing environmental concerns.
- Changing Competitive Landscape: B & W possesses unique capabilities in building natural gas power plants, and with GE Vernova currently at capacity, B & W's expansion potential may position it favorably in the future energy market, particularly in the combined use of coal and natural gas.
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Analyst Views on CRWV
Wall Street analysts forecast CRWV stock price to rise
25 Analyst Rating
12 Buy
13 Hold
0 Sell
Moderate Buy
Current: 81.745
Low
68.00
Averages
123.23
High
180.00
Current: 81.745
Low
68.00
Averages
123.23
High
180.00
About CRWV
CoreWeave, Inc. is a cloud infrastructure technology company. The Company offers the CoreWeave Cloud Platform, which consists of software and cloud services that deliver the automation and efficiency needed to manage complex artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure. Its CoreWeave Cloud Platform is an integrated solution that is purpose-built for running AI workloads such as model training and inference. Its solutions include infrastructure services, managed software services, and application software services. Its Infrastructure Services provide its customers with access to advanced graphics processing unit (GPU) and central processing unit (CPU) compute, highly performant networking, and storage. Its Managed Software Services include CKS, a flexible virtual private cloud and a bare metal service that runs kubernetes directly on high-performance servers. Its Application Software Services build on top of its infrastructure and managed software services, integrating additional tools.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
Meta's Plans to Compete in Cloud Computing Market Impact Neocloud Providers
- Stock Price Volatility: Following news of Meta's plans to enter the cloud computing market, CoreWeave's stock plummeted nearly 14% in a single day, while Nebius dropped 17%, reflecting market concerns about the future prospects of both companies, especially with Meta as a customer.
- Massive Contract Expansion: CoreWeave expanded its agreement with Meta in April 2023 to provide cloud computing capacity through 2032, valued at $21 billion, while Nebius announced in March it would provide $12 billion in cloud capacity, showcasing the strong collaborative potential in the AI data center sector.
- Sustained Demand Growth: Despite the competitive threat from Meta, demand for AI data centers from CoreWeave and Nebius remains robust, with CoreWeave noting that its 2026 capacity is largely sold out and 30% of its $99.4 billion revenue backlog comes from foundational AI labs, indicating urgent market demand for their services.
- Investment Opportunity Emerges: Although Meta's plans could impact CoreWeave and Nebius, the demand for AI data centers far exceeds supply, making the current stock price pullback a buying opportunity, particularly as CoreWeave's price-to-sales ratio is only 6.6, indicating potential investment value.
See More
Meta Enters AI Data Center Market, Impact on CoreWeave and Nebius
- Increased Competition: Meta's plan to enter the AI data center market led to a 14% and 17% drop in CoreWeave and Nebius shares respectively, indicating market concerns over new competition that could impact future revenue growth for both companies.
- Shifting Customer Dynamics: CoreWeave's agreement with Meta has been extended to 2032, valued at $21 billion, while Nebius has committed to providing $12 billion in cloud computing capacity, highlighting the importance of their business relationships despite increased competition.
- Strong Demand Continues: CoreWeave's AI cloud platform demand is nearing saturation for 2026, with 30% of its $99.4 billion revenue backlog coming from foundational AI labs, showcasing its robust market position and growth potential.
- Optimistic Industry Outlook: According to Goldman Sachs, U.S. data center power demand is projected to double to 66GW by 2027, indicating that the demand for AI data centers will continue to grow, positioning CoreWeave and Nebius to benefit from this trend.
See More
Nebius Stock Pullback Amid Meta Cloud Plans, Yet Investor Sentiment Remains Bullish
- Stock Pullback: Nebius shares fell 2.4% recently, now down 29% from the June 18 peak, although still up 155% year-to-date, indicating a divergence in market sentiment regarding its future prospects.
- Investor Sentiment: Despite the price drop, Stocktwits sentiment for NBIS rose 44% over the past week, turning ‘bullish’ on Tuesday, reflecting retail investors' views on the current price as a buying opportunity.
- Competitive Pressure: Reports of Meta's plans to launch a cloud computing business led to a 17% and 14% drop in Nebius and CoreWeave shares, respectively; however, analysts argue that Meta's expansion will drive growth rather than hinder the neocloud market.
- Expansion Plans: Nebius recently announced a £1.7 billion ($2.3 billion) investment to establish three data centers in the UK and plans for a 310-megawatt data center in Finland, valued at over $10 billion, highlighting its potential as a key AI hyperscaler.
See More
CoreWeave Stock Plummets as Meta Enters Neocloud Market
- Significant Stock Decline: CoreWeave's stock plummeted 18% over two trading sessions due to concerns over Meta's entry into the neocloud market, despite Meta's substantial resources and 32 large data centers, indicating pressure on CoreWeave's market position.
- Heavy Financial Burden: With nearly $25 billion in debt against less than $4.8 billion in shareholder equity, CoreWeave faces increased financial risks due to ongoing net losses and share dilution, raising concerns about its ability to meet contractual obligations.
- Strong Revenue Growth: Despite challenges, CoreWeave achieved a remarkable 112% year-over-year revenue increase in Q1 2026, significantly exceeding the forecasted 46% CAGR, highlighting its potential in the rapidly growing cloud computing market.
- Strategic Partnership Advantage: CoreWeave's collaboration with Nvidia not only provides access to advanced platforms but also helped it join the Nasdaq-100 index, suggesting that despite competition from Meta, it remains an attractive investment opportunity due to its low valuation.
See More
Meta's Entry into Neocloud Industry Shakes Market Dynamics
- Market Reaction: Meta's entry into the neocloud business caused CoreWeave's stock to plunge 18% over two trading sessions, reflecting investor concerns about intensified competition, despite CoreWeave's strong annual revenue growth and backlog.
- Significant Financial Pressure: CoreWeave is burdened with nearly $25 billion in debt against less than $4.8 billion in shareholder equity, and ongoing net losses may lead to further stock dilution, increasing investor risk.
- Industry Growth Potential: Despite challenges, Mordor Intelligence forecasts a 46% CAGR for the neocloud industry through 2031, while CoreWeave's 112% year-over-year revenue growth in Q1 2026 indicates a strong market position.
- Clear Competitive Advantage: CoreWeave's partnership with Nvidia not only provides access to advanced platforms but also positions it favorably in the competitive landscape; although Meta's entry may exert pressure, the rapid industry growth allows room for multiple players.
See More
Piper Sandler Defends Oracle's Cloud Revenue Outlook
- Cloud Infrastructure Revenue Potential: Piper Sandler's analysis suggests Oracle could generate approximately $2.2 billion in Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) revenue, exceeding consensus estimates, based on capital expenditure to data center capacity conversion, indicating strong growth potential in the cloud market.
- Financial Performance Outlook: Analyst Billy Fitzsimmons noted that despite challenges around capital requirements, AI monetization, and customer concentration, the accelerating growth of OCI and the new CFO's prudent guidance are expected to positively impact the apps business in FY27, enhancing market confidence.
- Capacity Expansion Expectations: Piper Sandler estimates that Oracle could add approximately 2,400 megawatts of cloud computing capacity in fiscal 2027, based on a baseline cost of $46 million per megawatt and IaaS revenue of $13.5 million per megawatt, showcasing the company's expansion potential in cloud infrastructure.
- Growth Momentum Analysis: With projected OCI revenue reaching $41.1 billion in FY27, compared to the current estimate of $20.8 billion, Piper Sandler believes this represents a 12% tailwind for OCI growth, and despite Oracle shares pulling back after fourth-quarter results, the analysis suggests this presents a buying opportunity.
See More
Meta's Plans to Compete in Cloud Computing Market Impact Neocloud Providers
- Stock Price Volatility: Following news of Meta's plans to enter the cloud computing market, CoreWeave's stock plummeted nearly 14% in a single day, while Nebius dropped 17%, reflecting market concerns about the future prospects of both companies, especially with Meta as a customer.
- Massive Contract Expansion: CoreWeave expanded its agreement with Meta in April 2023 to provide cloud computing capacity through 2032, valued at $21 billion, while Nebius announced in March it would provide $12 billion in cloud capacity, showcasing the strong collaborative potential in the AI data center sector.
- Sustained Demand Growth: Despite the competitive threat from Meta, demand for AI data centers from CoreWeave and Nebius remains robust, with CoreWeave noting that its 2026 capacity is largely sold out and 30% of its $99.4 billion revenue backlog comes from foundational AI labs, indicating urgent market demand for their services.
- Investment Opportunity Emerges: Although Meta's plans could impact CoreWeave and Nebius, the demand for AI data centers far exceeds supply, making the current stock price pullback a buying opportunity, particularly as CoreWeave's price-to-sales ratio is only 6.6, indicating potential investment value.
See More
Meta Enters AI Data Center Market, Impact on CoreWeave and Nebius
- Increased Competition: Meta's plan to enter the AI data center market led to a 14% and 17% drop in CoreWeave and Nebius shares respectively, indicating market concerns over new competition that could impact future revenue growth for both companies.
- Shifting Customer Dynamics: CoreWeave's agreement with Meta has been extended to 2032, valued at $21 billion, while Nebius has committed to providing $12 billion in cloud computing capacity, highlighting the importance of their business relationships despite increased competition.
- Strong Demand Continues: CoreWeave's AI cloud platform demand is nearing saturation for 2026, with 30% of its $99.4 billion revenue backlog coming from foundational AI labs, showcasing its robust market position and growth potential.
- Optimistic Industry Outlook: According to Goldman Sachs, U.S. data center power demand is projected to double to 66GW by 2027, indicating that the demand for AI data centers will continue to grow, positioning CoreWeave and Nebius to benefit from this trend.
See More
Nebius Stock Pullback Amid Meta Cloud Plans, Yet Investor Sentiment Remains Bullish
- Stock Pullback: Nebius shares fell 2.4% recently, now down 29% from the June 18 peak, although still up 155% year-to-date, indicating a divergence in market sentiment regarding its future prospects.
- Investor Sentiment: Despite the price drop, Stocktwits sentiment for NBIS rose 44% over the past week, turning ‘bullish’ on Tuesday, reflecting retail investors' views on the current price as a buying opportunity.
- Competitive Pressure: Reports of Meta's plans to launch a cloud computing business led to a 17% and 14% drop in Nebius and CoreWeave shares, respectively; however, analysts argue that Meta's expansion will drive growth rather than hinder the neocloud market.
- Expansion Plans: Nebius recently announced a £1.7 billion ($2.3 billion) investment to establish three data centers in the UK and plans for a 310-megawatt data center in Finland, valued at over $10 billion, highlighting its potential as a key AI hyperscaler.
See More
CoreWeave Stock Plummets as Meta Enters Neocloud Market
- Significant Stock Decline: CoreWeave's stock plummeted 18% over two trading sessions due to concerns over Meta's entry into the neocloud market, despite Meta's substantial resources and 32 large data centers, indicating pressure on CoreWeave's market position.
- Heavy Financial Burden: With nearly $25 billion in debt against less than $4.8 billion in shareholder equity, CoreWeave faces increased financial risks due to ongoing net losses and share dilution, raising concerns about its ability to meet contractual obligations.
- Strong Revenue Growth: Despite challenges, CoreWeave achieved a remarkable 112% year-over-year revenue increase in Q1 2026, significantly exceeding the forecasted 46% CAGR, highlighting its potential in the rapidly growing cloud computing market.
- Strategic Partnership Advantage: CoreWeave's collaboration with Nvidia not only provides access to advanced platforms but also helped it join the Nasdaq-100 index, suggesting that despite competition from Meta, it remains an attractive investment opportunity due to its low valuation.
See More
Meta's Entry into Neocloud Industry Shakes Market Dynamics
- Market Reaction: Meta's entry into the neocloud business caused CoreWeave's stock to plunge 18% over two trading sessions, reflecting investor concerns about intensified competition, despite CoreWeave's strong annual revenue growth and backlog.
- Significant Financial Pressure: CoreWeave is burdened with nearly $25 billion in debt against less than $4.8 billion in shareholder equity, and ongoing net losses may lead to further stock dilution, increasing investor risk.
- Industry Growth Potential: Despite challenges, Mordor Intelligence forecasts a 46% CAGR for the neocloud industry through 2031, while CoreWeave's 112% year-over-year revenue growth in Q1 2026 indicates a strong market position.
- Clear Competitive Advantage: CoreWeave's partnership with Nvidia not only provides access to advanced platforms but also positions it favorably in the competitive landscape; although Meta's entry may exert pressure, the rapid industry growth allows room for multiple players.
See More
Piper Sandler Defends Oracle's Cloud Revenue Outlook
- Cloud Infrastructure Revenue Potential: Piper Sandler's analysis suggests Oracle could generate approximately $2.2 billion in Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) revenue, exceeding consensus estimates, based on capital expenditure to data center capacity conversion, indicating strong growth potential in the cloud market.
- Financial Performance Outlook: Analyst Billy Fitzsimmons noted that despite challenges around capital requirements, AI monetization, and customer concentration, the accelerating growth of OCI and the new CFO's prudent guidance are expected to positively impact the apps business in FY27, enhancing market confidence.
- Capacity Expansion Expectations: Piper Sandler estimates that Oracle could add approximately 2,400 megawatts of cloud computing capacity in fiscal 2027, based on a baseline cost of $46 million per megawatt and IaaS revenue of $13.5 million per megawatt, showcasing the company's expansion potential in cloud infrastructure.
- Growth Momentum Analysis: With projected OCI revenue reaching $41.1 billion in FY27, compared to the current estimate of $20.8 billion, Piper Sandler believes this represents a 12% tailwind for OCI growth, and despite Oracle shares pulling back after fourth-quarter results, the analysis suggests this presents a buying opportunity.
See More
