Solaris Energy Infrastructure (SEI) down 30% on Jan 27

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dan_s
Posts: 36631
Joined: Fri Apr 23, 2010 8:22 am

Solaris Energy Infrastructure (SEI) down 30% on Jan 27

Post by dan_s »

There is no news to explain Monday's selloff, but this is what might have happened.

SEI was up over 400% since the announcement in early July (going from $8.32 to $35.00) that it was going to get into the "Distributed Power Business". They are working with AI data centers and upstream oil & gas companies to design, build and install natural gas fired modular power plants.

When any stock, especially a small-cap stock, makes a run that big in a short period of time, large shareholders will often put "Stop Loss Orders" in place to protect their gains. Early this morning it looks like a large sale triggered a lot more sales and the selloff started feeding on itself. At 9:40 some buyers showed up, but the rebound rally was not maintained.

The share price is up about 2.5% in after-hours trading, but on small volume. It will take a few days for this stock to settle down.

On January 24th: Solaris Energy Price Target Raised to $42.00/Share From $30.00 by Stifel

My current valuation is $35.00, which it reached on Friday, January 24th. My current forecast/valuation model has been posted to the EPG website.

SEI is expected to announce Q4 2024 results on February 26th.
Dan Steffens
Energy Prospectus Group
knusser58
Posts: 85
Joined: Wed Feb 22, 2023 7:39 am

Re: Solaris Energy Infrastructure (SEI) down 30% on Jan 27

Post by knusser58 »

HI Dan,
in your forecast model you have large increases in sales and profits for 2025 and 2026.
To get an idea of FCF for 2025 and 2026, can you share with us what your estimates for Capex are for 2025 and 2025 in order for SEI to achieve those sales estimates?
Regards,
Klaus
dan_s
Posts: 36631
Joined: Fri Apr 23, 2010 8:22 am

Re: Solaris Energy Infrastructure (SEI) down 30% on Jan 27

Post by dan_s »

Slide 15 of SEI's most recent presentation $275 million Capex in 2025. For Q1 2026 Capex drops to $30 million. So, free cash flow won't begin until 2026.

My 2025 forecast is based on SEI's EBITDA guidance.

I think most of their Power Solutions will be structured as long-term leases, where SEI actually owns the electricity generating equipment. So, once they get a lot of equipment in service their free cash flow should ramp up.
Dan Steffens
Energy Prospectus Group
dan_s
Posts: 36631
Joined: Fri Apr 23, 2010 8:22 am

Re: Solaris Energy Infrastructure (SEI) down 30% on Jan 27

Post by dan_s »

This has something to do with SEI's selloff. Keep in mind that SEI is not an AI company, it is Power Solutions company and it provides logistics services that handle frac sand for well completions.

Comments below are from Financial Sense

The Impact of DeepSeek's R1 Release
On Monday, January 20, 2025, the AI industry witnessed a seismic shift with the release of DeepSeek's new open-source model, R1. It took a week, but US tech stocks are now repricing in light of what is being reported as a major breakthrough on performance and cost-efficiency. This Chinese company's latest large language model (LLM) has reportedly outperformed OpenAI's leading model across multiple benchmarks, achieving this at a fraction of the cost. This revelation has sent shockwaves through Silicon Valley, causing a significant drop in US tech stocks as investors reassess the massive investments in data centers, particularly those utilizing Nvidia GPUs.

DeepSeek's Cost-Efficiency Claims: A Game-Changing Approach
All of this information is currently being vetted by industry experts for accuracy, but DeepSeek's public disclosure highlights that they employed advanced software optimization techniques to enhance hardware efficiency, slashing costs by 93%. If these claims hold true, it suggests that many tech companies may be overspending on hardware, and that innovative engineering approaches can yield competitive results without the need for extensive resources. As a result, the market is currently adjusting its expectations regarding future energy demand, compute costs, and inference costs.

Benchmarking Success: DeepSeek's R1 Training Process
The most striking claim from DeepSeek is that their entire training process was completed for just $5.576 million, utilizing 2.8 million GPU hours on mid-tier NVIDIA H800 GPUs. Remarkably, they did not use the more advanced H100 or Blackwell GPUs, which US companies have been investing heavily in to enhance training speed and model performance. This achievement sets a new benchmark for scaling LLMs efficiently, potentially narrowing the performance gap between open-source and proprietary models. If what DeepSeek says is true, this could disrupt the strategies of tech giants that have relied on significant capital investments to maintain their edge.

Potential Long-Term Implications for Cloud Service Providers
A valid consideration for investors is the potential long-term impact of more efficient compute and lower training costs on cloud service providers. With advancements like DeepSeek's, there is the possibility that AI workloads could increasingly be deployed locally at the edge, which might shift some demand away from cloud-based inference. While this represents a long-term risk, companies like Google, Amazon, and Microsoft are well-positioned to adapt to these trends through their hybrid cloud and edge solutions. Any perceived "cracks" in their dominance today are far from material, and it is premature to suggest they will lead to significant loss of market share. To stay competitive, leading hyperscalers and semiconductor companies will likely experiment with similar architectures, training frameworks, and hardware optimizations as DeepSeek, which could bolster their capabilities.

Accusations and Skepticism: The Accuracy of DeepSeek's Claims
Amidst the public discourse regarding this latest development, accusations have surfaced regarding the accuracy of DeepSeek's costs. Some notable technology experts like Elon Musk speculate that DeepSeek may have underreported the number and type of GPUs used to avoid revealing their ability to circumvent US sanctions and export restrictions on high-end Nvidia GPUs. While this remains unknown, in the near-term it is likely that most executives and decision-makers at tech firms will pause, test, and validate DeepSeek's claims before making significant capital allocations or strategic pivots. If DeepSeek's achievements with mid-tier GPUs are verified, it could shift market demand towards these more affordable options, putting pressure on high-end GPU pricing.

The Role of Software Innovation in DeepSeek's Success
A critical yet often overlooked aspect of DeepSeek's success is the role of software innovation. Techniques such as multi-head latent attention (MLA), load balancing, dual pipeline algorithms, FP8 mixed precision training, and multi-token prediction have significantly enhanced resource efficiency by better utilizing hardware and addressing traditional bottlenecks in distributed AI training. This opens up opportunities for competitors who face barriers to entry due to high capital expenditures.

The Future of AI: Decentralization and Democratization
On a positive note, over the longer-term, if DeepSeek's findings are confirmed, we could see Jevon’s paradox come into play where greater efficiencies eventually lead to even higher demand for AI services, as the cost for these services come down. This could lead to a more decentralized computing landscape, putting pressure on hyperscalers and advancing the democratization of AI. Ultimately, this race to the bottom in terms of cost could benefit consumers, driving down the price of AI technologies.

Financial Sense's Outlook: Cautious Optimism
At Financial Sense, we remain cautious in the near term but optimistic about the long-term trajectory of the AI landscape. We do not believe the "AI bubble" has burst, but rather that its growth has potentially slowed. As we navigate these developments, we will diligently monitor the industry, ensuring our clients remain well-informed and ready for the dynamic shifts in the AI landscape.
Dan Steffens
Energy Prospectus Group
dan_s
Posts: 36631
Joined: Fri Apr 23, 2010 8:22 am

Re: Solaris Energy Infrastructure (SEI) down 30% on Jan 27

Post by dan_s »

SEI now rebounding. My current valuation of $35 has not changed.
Dan Steffens
Energy Prospectus Group
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