IREN rebounds on Anthropic tender report
IREN Ltd shares climbed 6% in premarket trading after a report identified the company as a contender for Anthropic's $12-15 billion Australian data center tender. The stock had previously slumped due to concerns over rising AI infrastructure costs and competition from firms like CoreWeave and Nebius. IREN remains below key technical levels but holds a consensus Buy rating from analysts with a price target of $81.75 ahead of its Aug. 27 earnings report.

*this image is generated using AI for illustrative purposes only.
IREN Ltd shares rose approximately 6% in Monday's premarket session to $41.18, recovering from a previous 10.39% decline, as improving risk appetite lifted growth stocks. The rebound follows a report by The Australian Financial Review's Street Talk naming IREN as a contender for a major data center tender. Anthropic is seeking at least 1.4 gigawatts of Australian data center capacity in a project valued between $12 billion and $15 billion. The confidential tender shortlists IREN alongside CDC Data Centres, AirTrunk, NextDC, and Stack Infrastructure. Anthropic targets at least 1GW of operational capacity by the end of 2027 and may split the project among several providers.
Technical Levels and Market Sentiment
Despite the rebound, IREN remains below key moving averages, signaling a negative intermediate trend. The stock trades 23.2% below its 20-day simple moving average (SMA), 24.9% below its 50-day SMA, 14.4% below its 100-day SMA, and 16.7% below its 200-day SMA. Momentum indicators remain cautious, with the MACD sitting below its signal line and a negative histogram suggesting buying momentum has yet to strengthen. Key resistance stands near $45.50, while support is around $36.
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Current Price | $41.18 |
| 20-day SMA | N/A |
| 50-day SMA | N/A |
| 100-day SMA | N/A |
| 200-day SMA | N/A |
Competition and Costs
The recent optimism contrasts with prior concerns over the viability of Bitcoin miners transitioning to AI data centers against well-capitalized rivals like CoreWeave and Nebius. The sector faces new competitive pressures as Meta Platforms plans to sell excess data center capacity. Bitcoin mining companies are grappling with soaring deployment costs for data centers, driven by price increases in GPUs, servers, and memory products. High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) prices have surged by over 50% in recent months. A report by VanEck indicates these companies face a $50 billion funding gap and will require over $221 billion in the long term.
Earnings and Analyst Outlook
IREN is expected to report earnings on Aug. 27, 2026. Wall Street expects a loss of 38 cents per share on revenue of $165.16 million, compared with a loss of 66 cents per share and revenue of $187.30 million a year earlier. The stock trades at about 50.4 times earnings. Analysts maintain a consensus Buy rating with an average price forecast of $81.75. Recent actions include Jefferies initiating coverage with a Buy rating and a $79 price forecast on June 18, Macquarie maintaining an Outperform rating with a $90 price forecast on June 4, and B. Riley Securities raising its price forecast to $96 while reiterating Buy on June 4.
How will IREN secure the necessary funding to bridge the $50 billion sector gap amid soaring GPU and HBM costs?
What are the specific criteria Anthropic will use to select providers, and does IREN have a competitive edge over established data center firms?
Can IREN sustain its valuation if it fails to secure a portion of the Anthropic tender before the Aug. 27, 2026 earnings report?




























