Aslan Terminal ← The industry paper

Aslan Research · AI software

Snowflake Inc. (SNOW)

Data as of 2026-08-21 · 26 quarters · filed in USD

Revenue grew 50% per year, faster than expenses at 35% per year. The backlog equals 1.8x one year of revenue, giving the $9.2 billion backlog meaningful scale against $5.0 billion of trailing-year revenue.

Revenue, last 12 mo $5.0B to 2026-04-30
Spend, last 12 mo $4.9B cost + R&D + admin + tax
Debt they report balance-sheet borrowings
Money promised $1.4B debt + leases + purchases
Unrealized revenue $2.9B + $9.2B signed backlog
Due in next 5 years $9.3B the obligation wall

Earned, collected early, and merely signed

signed backlogdeferredrevenue (qtr)Q4 '19Q3 '21Q2 '23Q4 '24Q2 '26$5.1B$10B

Reports — of debt; has promised $1.4B

Total committed money is $1.4 billion, including $490 million for leases. That adds lease commitments beyond reported debt and captures other committed spending.

promisedQ4 '19Q3 '21Q2 '23Q4 '24Q2 '26$1.9B$3.9B

What the promised total is made of, latest quarter

debtleasespurchase deals
today
100%

Spending, by reported line

Cost of revenueR&DSelling & adminTax
2020
19%
17%
64%
2021
21%
21%
58%
2022
24%
24%
52%
2023
25%
27%
49%
2024
23%
33%
44%
2025
24%
35%
41%
2026
25%
32%
43%

When the promises come due

The next five years carry $9.3 billion of obligations, while only $56 million of revenue is promised for that period. Another $217 million of obligations falls after year five without a stated revenue schedule.

$9.3Bnext 5 years$0years 5–10$0beyond 10$217Mafter yr 5, undated$56Mrevenue promised to them

The rates that matter

Revenue growth /yr 50% 2021-Q1 → 2026-Q2
Expense growth /yr 35%
Promised money /yr 31%
Reported debt /yr
Deferred revenue /yr 41%
Quarters re-stated 13 of 26 by cited reconciliation

Expenses as filed vs after cited reconciliation

$164Mfiled2019$164Mreality2019$746Mfiled2020$631Mreality2020$1.8Bfiled2021$1.8Breality2021$2.6Bfiled2022$2.3Breality2022$3.7Bfiled2023$3.7Breality2023$4.8Bfiled2024$4.6Breality2024$5.9Bfiled2025$4.2Breality2025$3.3Bfiled2026$2.4Breality2026

6 patterns worth a second look

The filings describe a circular-financing relationship involving Observe, which was an investor, customer, and vendor before Snowflake acquired it. They also describe an increase from a $1.0 billion aggregate cloud infrastructure commitment with no minimum purchase commitment to a $6.0 billion cumulative minimum spend, plus a $34.0 million gain on remeasurement of a previously held equity interest presented as revenue.

circular financing · 1

The company invested in Observe while Observe was also a customer and vendor, before acquiring it.

off balance sheet · 1

The filings repeatedly disclose substantial obligations for leases signed but not yet commenced, alongside large operating lease and purchase commitments.

one time dressing · 1

The FY2024 filing presents a $34.0 million gain on remeasurement of a previously held equity interest as revenue.

redefinition · 1

The cloud infrastructure commitment changed from an aggregate $1.0 billion commitment with no minimum purchase commitment in the FY2024 filing to a cumulative $6.0 billion minimum spend under the April 2026 amendment.

related party exposure · 1

Related-party customer commitments and company investments in the counterparty increased across the FY2024-FY2026 filings.

subsequent event · 1

The FY2026 filing reports the acquisition of Observe shortly after period-end, recontextualizing prior related-party customer, vendor, and investment disclosures.

← Back to the industry paper