** Digital infrastructure provider Applied Digital shares APLD.O rise 24.8% to $9.39 premarket
** Investment bank Macquarie to invest up to $5 bln in APLD's AI data centers – WSJ
** Macquarie will get a 15% stake in APLD's high-performance computing business - WSJ
** New funding will be used to repay debt APLD took on to build the facilities in North Dakota and will allow it to recover over $300 mln of its equity investment in them - WSJ
** APLD shares gained 40.4% in the past year amid the AI surge
(Reporting by Rishi Kant in Bengaluru)
((Rishi.Kant@thomsonreuters.com))