Nebius Group (NBIS) shares soared 8.68% in pre-market trading on Wednesday, extending a powerful rally driven by a combination of institutional endorsement and surging optimism across the AI infrastructure sector.

The advance was significantly fueled by the disclosure that private equity giant Carlyle Group initiated a new position in Nebius during the second quarter, marking the stock as one of only three new additions to the firm's portfolio, which sent a clear signal of institutional confidence. This bullish sentiment was further amplified by CoreWeave's blockbuster quarterly report, which showed revenue doubling and a $104 billion sales backlog, sparking a broad rally in AI infrastructure names. Additionally, a robust earnings preview for Nebius added to the positive momentum, with consensus estimates projecting a 374.21% year-over-year revenue surge when the company reports its second-quarter results, following a prior quarter that delivered a 621.55% revenue jump.

The combination of high-growth expectations and institutional positioning provided strong upward support for the stock, as investors positioned ahead of the earnings release.