{"id":20372,"date":"2026-09-21T19:32:07","date_gmt":"2026-09-22T00:32:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/1reason.com\/re\/host-digital-debuts-on-nyse-american-as-host-and-exercises-its-right-to-acquire-a-second-site-from-its-sponsor-for-its-ai-data-center-platform\/20372\/"},"modified":"2026-09-22T14:32:07","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T19:32:07","slug":"host-digital-debuts-on-nyse-american-as-host-and-exercises-its-right-to-acquire-a-second-site-from-its-sponsor-for-its-ai-data-center-platform","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/1reason.com\/re\/host-digital-debuts-on-nyse-american-as-host-and-exercises-its-right-to-acquire-a-second-site-from-its-sponsor-for-its-ai-data-center-platform\/20372\/","title":{"rendered":"Host Digital Debuts on NYSE American as HOST and Exercises its Right to Acquire a Second Site from its Sponsor for its AI Data Center Platform"},"content":{"rendered":"<div><strong>  22, 2026 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.globenewswire.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">(GLOBE NEWSWIRE)<\/a> &#8212; <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.globenewswire.com\/Tracker?data=2gutc5am7xO_GMXOHjF-XAYoq42Iu-aKdQAI_kwnePxzTmAWNByOVuoicyrbhWjRJcvNUVAZLsYVEmVgVugkainFukD3KjgBPxgyYIM3Gu4=\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\"><u>Host Digital Inc.<\/u><\/a> (NYSE American: HOST) (\u201cHost Digital\u201d or the \u201cCompany\u201d), a vertically integrated digital infrastructure company that develops, acquires, owns, and operates institutional-quality, RightScaled data centers for artificial intelligence (\u201cAI\u201d) and high-performance computing (\u201cHPC\u201d), began trading on Friday, September 18 on the NYSE American under the ticker symbol \u201cHOST.\u201d  <\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">Host Digital also announced that it has signed a Preferential Rights Agreement with its Sponsor, which provides Host Digital with a right of first offer and a right of first refusal on qualifying data center projects held by its Sponsor. Host Digital expects to acquire from the Sponsor a second data center facility, also located in northeast Oklahoma (\u201cSite II\u201d). The Sponsor has signed a 12-year take-or-pay lease for Site II, with a publicly traded AI cloud provider, for approximately 20 MW of gross \/ 16 MW of critical IT load, representing approximately $391 million in base-term rent, or approximately $819 million over a total 22-year term assuming all renewal options are exercised, which is expected to be supported by a lease backstop from an investment-grade publicly listed U.S.-based global technology company.<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">Any contribution of Site II remains subject to negotiation and the execution of definitive agreements, and no assurance can be given that it will occur.<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><b>TRANSACTION AND LEASE HIGHLIGHTS<\/b><\/p>\n<ul type=\"disc\">\n<li style=\"text-align:justify\"><b>Merger completed:<\/b> Host Digital completed its merger with Host Digital Infrastructure LLC on September 17, 2026. Following the Closing of the priced offering, HOST\u2019s outstanding share count is 48,088,414, which implies a market capitalization of $384,947,754.07 as of market close on September 21, 2026.<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align:justify\"><b>Trading as HOST:<\/b> Shares began trading on the NYSE American under the ticker symbol \u201cHOST\u201d on Friday, September 18, 2026.<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align:justify\"><b>Site I:<\/b> With the closing of the merger, Site I is now owned by Host Digital. The fully executed 15-year, take-or-pay lease is for 55 MW gross \/ 43 MW of critical IT load, representing approximately $1.25 billion in base-term contracted revenue, or approximately $3.2 billion over a 30-year total term if all renewal options are exercised, and a Year 1 contracted revenue of $67 million, with delivery expected in the first quarter of 2027. The terms also include a 3.0% annual rent escalator with the tenant bearing operating expenses. The lease is expected to be supported by a lease backstop from an investment-grade publicly listed U.S.-based global technology company.<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align:justify\"><b>Site II<\/b><b>:<\/b> Host Digital expects to acquire from the Sponsor a second data center facility, also located in northeast Oklahoma (\u201cSite II\u201d), pursuant to its rights under the Preferential Rights Agreement. The Sponsor has signed a 12-year take-or-pay lease with a publicly traded AI cloud provider for approximately 20 MW gross \/ 16 MW of critical IT load, representing approximately $391 million in base-term rent, or approximately $819 million over a total 22-year term assuming all renewal options are exercised, and Year 1 contracted revenue of $28.3 million. The terms also include a 2.5% annual rent escalator with the tenant bearing operating expenses. The lease is expected to be supported by a lease backstop from a different investment-grade publicly listed U.S.-based global technology company. The contribution of Site II remains subject to negotiation and the execution of definitive agreements.<i>[1]<\/i><\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align:justify\"><b>Sponsor relationship:<\/b> Under the Preferential Rights Agreement, Sponsor provided the Company with a 24-month exclusive right of first offer and right of first refusal on qualifying data center assets from the Sponsor\u2019s pipeline, which includes an additional 450 MW of RightScaled data center assets with the potential ability to be delivered to tenants in 2027, as well as longer-term, \u201cland and expand\u201d growth from both grid and behind-the-meter expansions at existing sites, followed by the potential development of larger scale projects which may potentially be delivered to tenants in 2028 and beyond.<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align:justify\"><b>Differentiated approach:<\/b> Host Digital expects to target a combination of RightScaled, 20-100 MW grid-powered assets with existing or near-term electricity in place, which it expects to be able to deliver to tenants in 2026, 2027 and 2028, and which can potentially be expanded with additional utility capacity and behind-the-meter private grid generation, along with larger scale opportunities which may potentially be delivered in 2028 and beyond. This \u201cbarbell\u201d approach aims to accelerate revenue by emphasizing speed to power, while maximizing opportunities for scale over time. The Company focuses on rapidly delivering \u201cturnkey\u201d facilities, which go beyond a typical powered shell to meet tenants, chipmakers and end users where they are, in what the Company considers a \u201csweet spot\u201d of development cost and lease rates.\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p align=\"justify\">\u201cHost Digital is entering the public markets with the three things that matter most in AI infrastructure today: access to power, contracted demand, and a model we can repeat,\u201d said Shawn Matthews, Chairman of Host Digital. \u201cAt our initial site, we have 43 MW of critical IT load committed under a long-term lease. We now have started negotiations to acquire a second energized and leased facility. If we complete that acquisition, Host Digital expects to have approximately 59.3 MW of total contracted critical IT load and an aggregate of $1.64 billion in base-term contracted revenue across the two sites. Our listing on the New York Stock Exchange American gives us a public-markets platform to continue building that portfolio with discipline.\u201d<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">\u201cInfrastructure is ultimately constrained by how quickly operators can secure power and bring capacity online,\u201d said Harmol Samra, Chief Executive Officer of Host Digital. \u201cThe Host Digital platform\u2019s strategy addresses this constraint. We target acquiring sites where power is already flowing or available in the near term, then develop against long-term contracted demand, rather than building speculative capacity and hoping tenants follow. Site II is exactly the type of asset our RightScaled strategy was designed to capture: energized infrastructure, a modular design, contracted demand, and a defined path to tenant delivery.\u201d<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">Host Digital\u2019s development model centers on RightScaled sites of approximately 20 MW to 100 MW with grid power available today or in the near term, supplemented by behind-the-meter generation where appropriate, and developed against long-term contracted demand from strong or credit-enhanced counterparties. The strategy is designed to bring new capacity to market in months rather than years while avoiding many of the interconnection, permitting, and infrastructure constraints facing larger greenfield developments.<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">Host Digital expects to own and control the core physical infrastructure at each facility, including the real estate, power and interconnection rights, utility agreements, electrical systems, and cooling infrastructure. Tenants are expected to control their own compute infrastructure and model layers, allowing Host Digital to operate as the underlying digital infrastructure and real estate platform rather than taking technology or compute risk.<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><b>PREFERENTIAL RIGHTS AGREEMENT<\/b><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">In connection with the closing of the merger, Host Digital entered into a Preferential Rights Agreement with its Sponsor, an entity formed and controlled by the founders of Host Digital Infrastructure LLC. For 24 months, the agreement gives Host Digital exclusive rights of first offer and first refusal on data center assets the Sponsor acquires or develops and intends to place in a public company vehicle. The Sponsor\u2019s potential pipeline includes four additional sites with more than 450 MW of gross power capacity targeted for delivery in 2026 and 2027, including more than 350 MW of grid power and more than 100 MW of behind-the-meter capacity.<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">Any contributions of additional sites remain subject to negotiation and the execution of definitive agreements, and no assurance can be given that they will occur.<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><b>EXPERIENCED LEADERSHIP<\/b><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><b>Shawn Matthews<\/b><br \/><i>Chairman of the Board of Directors<\/i><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">Shawn Matthews has over 30 years of management experience in public and private corporations, with diverse experience across energy and financial sectors. His leadership experience includes serving as CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald &amp; Co. from 2009 to 2018; as founder and CEO of Hondius Energy; as CEO of Mercator Power; and as sponsor of Terrestrial Energy and a former member of its board of directors. Mr. Matthews has deep expertise and connectivity across the energy and real estate sectors, and capital markets more broadly, and brings strong governance leadership to HOST.<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><b>Harmol Samra<\/b><br \/><i>Chief Executive Officer<\/i><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">Harmol Samra has over a decade of experience in real estate private equity and digital infrastructure development, and previously served in roles at Starwood Capital and ICONIQ Capital in San Francisco and New York. At ICONIQ, Mr. Samra helped build and oversee IPI Partners, which grew to become one of the largest data center development platforms in the world. At the time of its sale to Blue Owl in 2024, IPI had a portfolio of 82 data centers comprising more than 2.2 gigawatts of leased capacity globally. Mr. Samra has significant expertise in developing real estate and digital infrastructure projects, and deep relationships across the AI\/HPC and AI infrastructure universe. Mr. Samra previously held investment and investment banking roles, respectively, at PGIM, the global asset management business of Prudential Financial, Inc., with over $1.4 trillion in assets under management, and Morgan Stanley.<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><b>ABOUT HOST DIGITAL<\/b><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">Host Digital Inc. (NYSE American: HOST) develops, acquires, owns, and operates institutional-quality data centers in the United States that support AI and HPC workloads. The Company focuses on RightScaled sites of 20 MW to 100 MW with existing or near-term access to power, leased under long-term contracts to strong or credit-enhanced counterparties. Host Digital seeks to own and control the real estate, power, and data center infrastructure at each site, and provides turnkey facilities where tenants select and deploy their own compute infrastructure and model layers.<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">Through its wholly owned subsidiaries, the Company also operates a portfolio of 19 natural and organic grocery stores across six states under the Ada\u2019s Natural Market, Paradise Health &amp; Nutrition, Mother Earth\u2019s Storehouse, Greens Natural Foods, Ellwood Thompson\u2019s, and GreenAcres Market brands. Healthy Choice Wellness Corp.\u2019s natural and organic grocery business continues to operate as a division of the Company following the merger.<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">For more information, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.globenewswire.com\/Tracker?data=Soxt-CC-5Mmtowyo587l2-bcLwokEznvF9Pa4LJLmas27To6hQRFpR_V9hpk5c65AH4v5dFpPVPjSkiIFXFy2jKcTj6W2WsQ9KYOznPCxW4=\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"\"><u>www.hostdigital.ai<\/u><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">Footnote<\/p>\n<ol style=\"list-style-type:decimal\">\n<li style=\"text-align:justify\">Any contribution of Site II remains subject to negotiation and the execution of definitive agreements, and no assurance can be given that it will occur.\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p align=\"justify\"><b>FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS<\/b><\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding the proposed acquisition and development of one or more data center facilities, including the potential acquisition of Site II; the expected assets leases and other assets to be acquired from the Sponsor or any other third party; the timing of delivery of the Company\u2019s data center facilities to tenants; anticipated contracted revenue, lease terms and renewal options; the Company\u2019s development strategy and ability to execute and scale its business model; and the Sponsor\u2019s potential pipeline and contribution of additional data center assets to the Company. Statements that are not historical facts are based on current estimates, assumptions and projections and are not guarantees of future performance. Words such as \u201canticipates,\u201d \u201cbelieves,\u201d \u201cexpects,\u201d \u201cintends,\u201d \u201cmay,\u201d \u201cplans,\u201d \u201cwill,\u201d \u201cwould,\u201d \u201ccould\u201d and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these words.<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">Forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially, including risks relating to the completion of the offering on the anticipated terms or at all; the Company\u2019s ability to satisfy the applicable listing requirements; the Company\u2019s ability to successfully integrate the businesses and realize the anticipated benefits of the offering; the Company\u2019s ability to obtain required financing, complete development and deliver capacity on schedule; and other factors described in the Company\u2019s filings with the SEC, including under the header \u201cRisk Factors\u201d in Exhibit 99.2 to the Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the SEC on September 17, 2026. The Company undertakes no obligation to update these statements except as required by law.<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><b>MEDIA CONTACT<\/b><br \/>Jessica Starman<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.globenewswire.com\/Tracker?data=RVlhRwq3ka-Da1jXpvySEv0uFuWWmV2R3uauBJMOfB1YWjC-K7T6r_khR3LI-PdhFovkdR5_Haaav3MmPTXfqB6ft9Bd1cgnshtqwQ76RTA8W1drzKLh9IYoPQ2p6zRY\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"jessica@elev8newmedia.com\">jessica@elev8newmedia.com<\/a><br \/>888-461-2233<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\"><b>INVESTOR CONTACT<\/b><br \/>Jason Assad<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.globenewswire.com\/Tracker?data=z2rvU-ob1g9dbKLPQhTPiCiTRn1FlMrn9RjZNjuQmF886GuUvrcm2_5QxpT2mtZUQHaWt9kutMt2Ej5pGQL6sHgghVhkUMHiYZdcrlaYtMk=\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"info@bridge-comms.com\">info@bridge-comms.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img alt=\"\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/ml.globenewswire.com\/media\/NDI3ODY2N2EtZTJjOC00ZDY3LWI2YzEtOWJiYzA3MjdjZTc2LTUwMDEyODA5NS0yMDI2LTA5LTIyLWVu\/tiny\/Host-Digital-Inc.png\"><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p align=\"center\">Site II would add approximately $391 million in base-term contracted revenue to previously announced base-term contracted revenue of $1.25 billion for Site I.<\/p>\n<p align=\"justify\">NEW YORK, NY, Sept.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[11],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/1reason.com\/re\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20372"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/1reason.com\/re\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/1reason.com\/re\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1reason.com\/re\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1reason.com\/re\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=20372"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/1reason.com\/re\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20372\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20380,"href":"https:\/\/1reason.com\/re\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20372\/revisions\/20380"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/1reason.com\/re\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=20372"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1reason.com\/re\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=20372"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/1reason.com\/re\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=20372"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}