CoreWeave (CRWV -6.13%) just delivered another impressive quarter. Revenue surged 168% year over year to $3.7 billion, its customer backlog reached $132.5 billion, and management raised its full-year guidance. Yet the company still reported a net loss of $709 million.

For investors, this creates an interesting dilemma. CoreWeave is becoming an increasingly important player in the AI infrastructure market, but its business requires enormous amounts of capital to grow.

I’d consider CoreWeave a speculative buying opportunity after its recent sell-off, but I wouldn’t make it a large position in the portfolio just yet. Here are three things investors should consider.

The demand is real, and CoreWeave is executing

The strongest part of CoreWeave’s latest earnings is its revenue growth.

Quarterly revenue reached $3.7 billion, up from $1.37 billion a year earlier. More importantly, revenue increased approximately 42% sequentially from the previous quarter. Its backlog also expanded to $132.5 billion, up by 138% year over year.

These figures suggest demand for specialized AI computing infrastructure remains strong. CoreWeave is not simply benefiting from enthusiasm surrounding AI. It is winning customers and bringing infrastructure online to serve them.

Management also raised its 2026 revenue guidance to between $13 billion and $13.3 billion. This strengthens the long-term investment case. As AI models become more sophisticated and businesses deploy more AI applications, demand for computing capacity could remain substantial.

However, investors should remember that a large backlog represents future business, not guaranteed profits. CoreWeave still needs to build the infrastructure and deliver computing services before it recognizes much of that revenue.

The biggest challenge is turning growth into profits

CoreWeave generated $2.3 billion in adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) during the quarter, an impressive 169% increase year over year. But its generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) operating income was only $207 million. Net interest expense reached $846 million, contributing to a quarterly net loss of $709 million.

Why the difference?

CoreWeave must invest heavily in GPUs, data centers, and electricity to serve its customers. These assets are expensive and lose value over time. The company also borrows substantial amounts to finance its expansion.

This creates a difficult economic equation. CoreWeave needs to keep investing to capture demand, but those investments also generate depreciation and financing costs, creating future funding requirements.

The good news is that management raised its adjusted operating income guidance to between $1.275 billion and $1.375 billion. It also expects to achieve positive adjusted net income in the first half of 2028.

These are encouraging developments, but investors should focus on execution rather than projections. I’d particularly watch whether operating earnings grow faster than interest expenses and whether the company gradually narrows the gap between operating cash flow and capital expenditure.

Until then, impressive revenue growth alone isn’t enough to establish that CoreWeave is an attractive investment.

Is the stock cheap enough to justify the risk?

Following its recent sell-off, CoreWeave’s valuation has become more interesting. As of this writing, the stock has a market capitalization of around $27 billion. With an expected 2026 revenue of $13 billion to $13.3 billion, the stock trades at roughly 2 times sales.

That might look inexpensive for a company growing revenue at 168%. However, CoreWeave also carries substantial debt. Including its debt and cash position, its enterprise value will be much higher. For perspective, CoreWeave’s financial obligations – debt plus lease obligations – stand at about $67 billion. This is a more meaningful comparison for a capital-intensive business.

The opportunity is that CoreWeave could become a major AI infrastructure provider if it continues winning customers and improves its operating economics. The risk is that competition from Amazon, Microsoft, and Alphabet intensifies, computing prices decline, and financing costs remain elevated.

I’d therefore avoid treating the recent share-price decline as an automatic buying opportunity. It’s definitely cheaper than a few months ago, but it’s not a no-brainer.

What does it mean for investors?

CoreWeave’s latest results strengthen its position as an important AI infrastructure provider. Revenue is growing rapidly, its backlog is expanding, and management is raising its expectations. But the company still has to prove that it can turn its enormous infrastructure investments into sustainable profits.

For investors comfortable with significant volatility, a small initial position could make sense. More conservative investors may prefer to wait for clearer evidence of improving profitability and cash generation before making their next move.