Short seller accuses Equinix of ‘selling AI pipe dream,’ accounting manipulation

Data center owner Equinix boasts artificial intelligence as a boon to business when power consumption costs related to implementing AI could be detrimental to its profitability, according to an investigative report by short seller Hindenburg Research.

Hindenburg alleged in its report, published Wednesday, that Equinix is “selling an AI pipe dream” and has been conducting “major accounting manipulation” since transitioning to a real estate investment trust (REIT) in 2015.

After changing to a REIT, the firm began using adjusted funds from operations (AFFO) as a key metric in determining executive bonuses, per Hindenburg. In 2015, it reported a 47 percent drop in maintenance capital expenditures (CapEx), leading to an estimated 19 percent boost to reported AFFO, the report continued.