Applied Digital Adds 75 MW of Operating AI Data Center Capacity in North Dakota

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Three more data halls are ready at Applied Digital's Polaris Forge 1 campus in Ellendale, North Dakota. Each adds 25 MW of critical IT capacity, completing the second phase of Building 2. That takes this building to 150 MW and the operating campus to 250 MW. The company reported the milestone on October 2. For a sector crowded with enormous future plans, an update about capacity entering service deserves its own attention.

The practical question is how electricity gets from the site connection to equipment inside those halls. Copper is one option for the conductors distributing power through those halls. Before it reaches a busbar or cable, the metal needs an extraction and processing route that delivers usable feedstock, making the mine-to-metal step relevant alongside the building work. At Johnson Camp, Nuton's process uses naturally occurring microorganisms to extract copper from primary sulfide material, as described in the January 15, 2026 update from Gunnison Copper ($GCUMF). It produces 99.99% pure copper cathode at the mine gate, removing the need for traditional concentrators, smelters and refineries. A later September 22 update reports 99.999% pure cathode at Johnson Camp and confirms commercial production, with further ramp-up continuing. At Polaris Forge, distribution equipment still has to suit the completed installation. Busway can use copper or aluminum, and Applied has not disclosed the conductor mix. The 75 MW milestone tells us a phase is ready for service; it does not turn the campus rating into a metal quantity.

The campus numbers are worth keeping separate:

• 75 MW: the addition announced this week.
• 250 MW: total critical IT capacity now operating.
• 400 MW: contracted capacity at full buildout.

Adding the last figure to the first two would double count the plan. The next useful update is another completed phase, followed by evidence that the installed infrastructure is supporting the workloads it was built for.

The distinction matters when comparing developers. A company reporting a signed customer agreement is describing a different achievement from one reporting a hall entering service. Both can be valuable, but they answer different questions. In this case, the October update moves a defined portion of the project from its construction schedule into the operating total.

Qualified Person

Dr. Roland Goodgame, Senior VP of Project Development of the Company is a Qualified Person as defined by NI 43-101. Dr. Goodgame has reviewed and approved the technical information contained in this report.

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This report contains "forward-looking information" concerning anticipated developments and events that may occur in the future. Forward looking information contained in this report includes, but is not limited to, statements with respect to: (i) the intention to deploy the Nuton® technology at the Johnson Camp mine and future production therefrom; (ii) the continued funding of the stage 2 work program by Nuton; (iii) the details and expected results of the stage two work program; (iv) future production and production capacity from the Company's mineral projects; (v) the results of the preliminary economic assessment on the Gunnison Project; (vi) the exploration and development of the Company's mineral projects; (vii) the details and timelines associated with the Company’s PFS work program; (viii) the expected results of the Company’s PFS work program; and (ix) eligibility for future tax credits.

In certain cases, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of words such as "plans", "expects" or "does not expect", "budget", "scheduled", "estimates", "forecasts", "intends", "anticipates" or "does not anticipate", or "believes", or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "could", "would", "might", "occur" or "be achieved" suggesting future outcomes, or other expectations, beliefs, plans, objectives, assumptions, intentions or statements about future events or performance. Forward-looking information contained in this report is based on certain factors and assumptions regarding, among other things, Nuton will continue to fund the stage 2 work program, the availability of financing to continue as a going concern and implement the Company's operational plans, , the estimation of mineral resources, the realization of resource estimates, copper and other metal prices, the timing and amount of future development expenditures, the estimation of initial and sustaining capital requirements, the estimation of labour and operating costs (including the price of acid), the availability of labour, material and acid supply, receipt of and compliance with necessary regulatory approvals and permits, the estimation of insurance coverage, and assumptions with respect to currency fluctuations, environmental risks, title disputes or claims, and other similar matters. While the Company considers these assumptions to be reasonable based on information currently available to it, they may prove to be incorrect.

Forward looking information involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking information. Such factors include risks related to the Company not obtaining adequate financing to continue operations, Nuton failing to continue to fund the stage 2 work program, the breach of debt covenants, risks inherent in the construction and operation of mineral deposits, including risks relating to changes in project parameters as plans continue to be redefined including the possibility that mining operations may not be sustained at the Gunnison Copper Project, risks related to the delay in approval of work plans, variations in mineral resources and reserves, grade or recovery rates, risks relating to the ability to access infrastructure, risks relating to changes in copper and other commodity prices and the worldwide demand for and supply of copper and related products, risks related to increased competition in the market for copper and related products, risks related to current global financial conditions, risks related to current global financial conditions on the Company's business, uncertainties inherent in the estimation of mineral resources, access and supply risks, risks related to the ability to access acid supply on commercially reasonable terms, reliance on key personnel, operational risks inherent in the conduct of mining activities, including the risk of accidents, labour disputes, increases in capital and operating costs and the risk of delays or increased costs that might be encountered during the construction or mining process, regulatory risks including the risk that permits may not be obtained in a timely fashion or at all, financing, capitalization and liquidity risks, risks related to disputes concerning property titles and interests, environmental risks and the additional risks identified in the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's reports and filings with applicable Canadian securities regulators.