Core Scientific secures $500M 364-day loan at SOFR+250 bps

Key terms: $500M 364-day facility, SOFR + 250 basis points, $1B accordion

core scientific (Nasdaq: CORZ) completed the initial closing of a $500 million, 364-day loan facility with morgan stanley, featuring an accordion that could increase total commitments to $1 billion, as reported by The Block (https://www.theblock.co/post/392401/morgan-stanley-provides-500-million-loan-facility-to-core-scientific-with-option-to-extend-to-1-billion).

The facility is priced at SOFR + 250 basis points, and proceeds are designated for digital infrastructure: equipment purchases, real estate, pre-development, and additional energy procurement, according to Core Scientific’s press release (https://investors.corescientific.com/news-events/press-releases/detail/128/core-scientific-secures-strategic-financing-with-morgan-stanley-for-up-to-1-billion).

Why it matters: funds Core Scientific’s AI data center colocation pivot

The financing underwrites the company’s pivot from bitcoin mining toward AI and high-performance computing data center colocation. Management aims to accelerate conversion of sites to high‑density capacity for enterprise AI workloads.

The company frames the facility as enabling faster execution of planned builds and customer onboarding. “The funding strengthens liquidity and financial flexibility, enabling us to execute our development and go-to-market strategy and accelerate timelines to make projects customer-ready,” said Adam Sullivan, CEO.

Near term, liquidity increases and capital can be committed to long‑lead items and grid interconnect work. Spending priorities include transformers, cooling, real estate transactions, and additional power procurement aligned with high‑density compute.

These allocations are intended to advance customer onboarding alongside site conversions. Actual pacing will depend on permitting, construction cadence, and power delivery schedules.

Risks, refinancing paths, and execution checkpoints

364-day maturity: refinancing scenarios and timing

The 364‑day tenor concentrates refinancing risk within the next year and puts a premium on rapid execution. As noted by The Energy Mag, the short maturity and SOFR‑based cost heighten sensitivity to build or leasing delays (https://www.theenergymag.com/news/2026-03-05/core-scientific-ai-loan-morgan-stanley).

Refinancing may include terming out debt, pursuing project‑level financing, or arranging new credit facilities, contingent on contracted capacity and operating cash flow. Market conditions at maturity will influence the optimal structure.

Execution checkpoints: site builds, power contracts, customer ramps

Key checkpoints include site construction progress across power distribution and cooling installations. Power procurement and contract pricing must align with target margins for high‑density workloads.

Customer ramps, from signed agreements to energized capacity, are a critical proof point. Timely equipment deliveries and interconnection milestones will determine initial utilization and revenue conversion.

At the time of this writing, Bitcoin (BTC) traded near $71,537, providing market context for mining‑to‑AI transitions, based on data from CoinDesk (https://www.coindesk.com/).

FAQ about 364-day loan facility

How will Core Scientific deploy the funds and on what timeline?

Toward equipment, real estate, pre‑development, and additional energy procurement, with near‑term deployment intended to accelerate customer‑ready builds.

What risks does the 364-day maturity create, and how might the company refinance?

It concentrates refinancing risk within a year; potential paths include new facilities, project finance, or capital‑markets issuance, dependent on execution and market conditions.