SEC Filing | VNET Group, Inc.

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Form 20-F

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 20-F

(Mark One)

¨	REGISTRATION STATEMENT PURSUANT TO SECTION 12(B) OR 12(G) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

x	ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2012.

¨	TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

¨	SHELL COMPANY REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(D) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Date of event requiring this shell company report

For the transition period from to

Commission file number: 001-35126

21Vianet Group, Inc.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

N/A

(Translation of Registrant’s Name into English)

Cayman Islands

(Jurisdiction of Incorporation or Organization)

M5, 1 Jiuxianqiao East Road,

Chaoyang District

Beijing, 100016

The People’s Republic of China

(Address of Principal Executive Offices)

Mr. Shang-Wen Hsiao, President and Chief Financial Officer 21Vianet Group, Inc. M5, 1 Jiuxianqiao East Road,

Chaoyang District

Beijing, 100016

The People’s Republic of China Phone: (86) 10 8456-2121 Facsimile: (86) 10 8456-2619

(Name, Telephone, E-mail and/or Facsimile Number and Address of Company Contact Person)

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:


Title of each class		Name of exchange on which registered
American Depositary Shares, each representing six Class A ordinary shares, par value US$0.00001 per share		NASDAQ Global Market
Class A ordinary shares, par value US$0.00001 per share*

*	Not for trading, but only in connection with the listing on the NASDAQ Global Market of the American Depositary Shares

Securities registered or to be registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

(Title of Class)

Securities for which there is a reporting obligation pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Act: None

(Title of Class)

Indicate the number of outstanding shares of each of the Issuer’s classes of capital or common stock as of the close of the period covered by the annual report: 282,959,863 Class A ordinary shares and 64,038,642 Class B ordinary shares, par value US$0.00001 per share, as of December 31, 2012.

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ¨ No x

If this report is an annual or transition report, indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Yes ¨ No x

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant: (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes x No ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically and posted on its Web site, if any, every Interactive Data File required to be submitted and posted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post such files). Yes x No ¨

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, or a non-accelerated filer. See definition of “accelerated filer and large accelerated filer” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act. (Check one):

Large accelerated filer ¨ Accelerated filer x Non-accelerated filer ¨

Indicate by check mark which basis of accounting the registrant has used to prepare the financial statements included in this filing:


US GAAP x		International Financial Reporting Standards as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board ¨		Other ¨

If “Other” has been checked in response to the previous question, indicate by check mark which financial statement item the registrant has elected to follow. Item 17 ¨ Item 18 ¨

If this is an annual report, indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). Yes ¨ No x

(APPLICABLE ONLY TO ISSUERS INVOLVED IN BANKRUPTCY PROCEEDINGS DURING THE PAST FIVE YEARS)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed all documents and reports required to be filed by Sections 12, 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 subsequent to the distribution of securities under a plan confirmed by a court. Yes ¨ No ¨


TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION		1
PART I		2
ITEM 1.	IDENTITY OF DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND ADVISERS	2
ITEM 2.	OFFER STATISTICS AND EXPECTED TIMETABLE	2
ITEM 3.	KEY INFORMATION	2
ITEM 4.	INFORMATION ON THE COMPANY	36
ITEM 4A.	UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS	53
ITEM 5.	OPERATING AND FINANCIAL REVIEW AND PROSPECTS	53
ITEM 6.	DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND EMPLOYEES	77
ITEM 7.	MAJOR SHAREHOLDERS AND RELATED PARTY TRANSACTIONS	87
ITEM 8.	FINANCIAL INFORMATION	88
ITEM 9.	THE OFFER AND LISTING	89
ITEM 10.	ADDITIONAL INFORMATION	90
ITEM 11.	QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DISCLOSURES ABOUT MARKET RISK	99
ITEM 12.	DESCRIPTION OF SECURITIES OTHER THAN EQUITY SECURITIES	100
PART II		102
ITEM 13.	DEFAULTS, DIVIDEND ARREARAGES AND DELINQUENCIES	102
ITEM 14.	MATERIAL MODIFICATIONS TO THE RIGHTS OF SECURITY HOLDERS AND USE OF PROCEEDS	102
ITEM 15.	CONTROLS AND PROCEDURES	102
ITEM 16A.	AUDIT COMMITTEE FINANCIAL EXPERT	104
ITEM 16B.	CODE OF ETHICS	104
ITEM 16C.	PRINCIPAL ACCOUNTANT FEES AND SERVICES	104
ITEM 16D.	EXEMPTIONS FROM THE LISTING STANDARDS FOR AUDIT COMMITTEES	104
ITEM 16E.	PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES BY THE ISSUER AND AFFILIATED PURCHASERS	104
ITEM 16F.	CHANGE IN REGISTRANT’S CERTIFYING ACCOUNTANT	105
ITEM 16G.	CORPORATE GOVERNANCE	105
ITEM 16H.	MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURE	105
PART III		105
ITEM 17.	FINANCIAL STATEMENTS	105
ITEM 18.	FINANCIAL STATEMENTS	105
ITEM 19.	EXHIBITS	105

INTRODUCTION

Unless otherwise indicated and except where the context otherwise requires, references in this annual report on Form 20-F to:

•

“ADSs” refers to our American depositary shares, each representing six Class A ordinary shares;

•

“21Vianet,” “we,” “us,” “our company,” and “our” refer to 21Vianet Group, Inc., its subsidiaries and its consolidated affiliated entities;

•

“China” or the “PRC” refers to the People’s Republic of China, excluding, for the purpose of this annual report only, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan;

•

“ordinary shares” or “shares” refer to our ordinary shares, which include both Class A ordinary shares, par value US$0.00001 per share, and Class B ordinary shares, par value US$0.00001 per share, collectively;

•

“variable interest entity,” or “VIE,” refers to Beijing aBitCool Network Technology Co., Ltd., a domestic PRC company in which we do not have equity interests but whose financial results have been consolidated into our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP due to our having effective control over, and our being the primary beneficiary of, this company;

•

“consolidated affiliated entities” refer to our variable interest entity and its direct and indirect subsidiaries; and

•

“RMB” and “Renminbi” refer to the legal currency of China.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This annual report on Form 20-F contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical facts are forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, including those listed under “Risk Factors,” may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.

You can identify some of these forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as “may,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “is/are likely to,” “potential,” “continue” or other similar expressions. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and financial trends that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. These forward-looking statements include:

•

our goals and strategies and our expansion plans;

•

our future business development, financial condition and results of operations;

•

the expected growth of the data center services market;

•

our expectations regarding demand for, and market acceptance of, our services;

•

our expectations regarding keeping and strengthening our relationships with customers;

•

our plans to invest in research and development to enhance and complement our existing solution and service offerings; and

•

general economic and business conditions in the regions where we provide our solutions and services.

These forward-looking statements involve various risks and uncertainties. Although we believe that our expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, our expectations may later be found

to be incorrect. Our actual results could be materially different from our expectations. Other sections of this annual report include additional factors that could adversely impact our business and financial performance. Moreover, we operate in an evolving environment. New risk factors and uncertainties emerge from time to time and it is not possible for our management to predict all risk factors and uncertainties, nor can we assess the impact of all factors on our business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. You should read thoroughly this annual report and the documents that we refer to with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from and worse than what we expect. We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements.

PART I

ITEM 1.

IDENTITY OF DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND ADVISERS

Not applicable.

ITEM 2.

OFFER STATISTICS AND EXPECTED TIMETABLE

Not applicable.

ITEM 3.

KEY INFORMATION

A. Selected Financial Data

Selected Consolidated Financial Data

The following selected consolidated financial information for the periods and as of the dates indicated should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and related notes and “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects” in this annual report.

Our selected consolidated financial data presented below for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2011 and 2012 and our balance sheet data as of December 31, 2011 and 2012 have been derived from our audited consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this annual report. Our audited consolidated financial statements are prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP.

Our selected consolidated financial data presented below for the year ended December 31, 2008 and 2009 and our balance sheet data as of December 31, 2008, 2009 and 2010 have been derived from our audited financial statements not included in this annual report.


	For the Year Ended December 31,
	2008			2009			2010			2011			2012
	RMB			RMB			RMB			RMB			RMB			US$
	(in thousands, except share and per share data)
Consolidated Statement of Operations Data:
Net revenues:
Hosting and related services		213,181			284,780			374,946			614,612			866,882			139,144
Managed network services		27,590			28,855			150,257			406,317			657,276			105,500

Total net revenues		240,771			313,635			525,203			1,020,929			1,524,158			244,644
Cost of revenues⁽¹⁾		(174,598	)		(229,304	)		(396,858	)		(744,371	)		(1,098,477	)		(176,318	)

Gross profit		66,173			84,331			128,345			276,558			425,681			68,326
Operating expenses:
Sales and marketing expenses⁽¹⁾		(21,125	)		(24,132	)		(51,392	)		(80,885	)		(109,871	)		(17,636	)
General and administrative expenses⁽¹⁾		(31,823	)		(25,457	)		(282,298	)		(82,926	)		(153,512	)		(24,640	)
Research and development expenses⁽¹⁾		(5,858	)		(7,607	)		(19,924	)		(34,657	)		(63,929	)		(10,261	)
Changes in the fair value of contingent purchase consideration payable		—			—			(7,537	)		(63,185	)		(17,430	)		(2,798	)

Operating profit (loss)		7,367			27,135			(232,806	)		14,905			80,939			12,991
Net profit (loss) from continuing operations		10,608			59,981			(234,715	)		45,939			57,656			9,252
Loss from discontinued operations		(28,566	)		(63,910	)		(12,952	)		—			—			—

Net (loss) profit		(17,958	)		(3,929	)		(247,667	)		45,939			57,656			9,252
Net income attributable to non-controlling interest		(295	)		(1,990	)		(7,722	)		(27,495	)		(1,332	)		(214	)

Net (loss) profit attributable to Company’s ordinary shareholders		(18,253	)		(5,919	)		(255,389	)		18,444			56,324			9,038

Earnings (loss) per share:
Net profit (loss) from continuing operations		0.14			0.81			(3.39	)		0.07			0.16			0.03
Loss from discontinued operations		(0.40	)		(0.89	)		(0.18	)		—			—			—

Basic		(0.26	)		(0.08	)		(3.57	)		0.07			0.16			0.03

Net profit (loss) from continuing operations		0.06			0.32			(3.39	)		0.06			0.16			0.03
Loss from discontinued operations		(0.16	)		(0.35	)		(0.18	)		—			—			—

Diluted		(0.10	)		(0.03	)		(3.57	)		0.06			0.16			0.03

Earnings (loss) per ADS:
Net profit (loss) from continuing operations		0.84			4.86			(20.34	)		0.42			0.96			0.18
Loss from discontinued operations		(2.40	)		(5.34	)		(1.08	)		—			—			—

Basic		(1.56	)		(0.48	)		(21.42	)		0.42			0.96			0.18

Net profit (loss) from continuing operations		0.36			1.92			(20.34	)		0.36			0.96			0.18
Loss from discontinued operations		(0.96	)		(2.10	)		(1.08	)		—			—			—

Diluted		(0.60	)		(0.18	)		(21.42	)		0.36			0.96			0.18

Shares used in earnings (loss) per share computation:
Basic		71,526,320			71,526,320			71,526,320			259,595,677			342,533,167			342,533,167
Diluted		182,492,500			182,492,500			182,492,500			316,807,661			356,784,209			356,784,209
Non-GAAP Financial Data:⁽²⁾
Adjusted gross profit		68,505			86,478			141,990			307,103			457,381			73,414
Adjusted net profit		7,666			24,902			59,454			169,993			167,287			26,849
Adjusted EBITDA		22,546			48,110			83,657			209,026			294,165			47,216

(1)	Share-based compensation was included in the related operating expense categories as follows:


	For the Year Ended December 31,
	2008		2009		2010		2011		2012
	RMB		RMB		RMB		RMB		RMB		US$
	(in thousands)
Allocation of share-based compensation expenses:
Cost of revenues		—		—		4,645		2,157		4,517		725
Sales and marketing expenses		—		—		11,884		5,763		10,508		1,687
General and administrative expenses		—		—		254,936		31,420		47,749		7,664
Research and development expenses		—		—		6,416		2,619		4,858		780

Total share-based compensation expenses		—		—		277,881		41,959		67,632		10,856

(2)	See “—Discussion of Non-GAAP Financial Measures.”

The following table presents a summary of our consolidated balance sheet data as of December 31, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012.


	As of December 31,
	2008			2009			2010			2011		2012
	RMB			RMB			RMB			RMB		RMB		US$
	(in thousands)
Consolidated Balance Sheet Data:
Cash and cash equivalents		75,338			71,998			83,256			410,389		432,254		69,382
Restricted cash (current asset)		—			11,276			4,441			4,578		191,766		30,781
Short-term investments		—			—			—			894,540		222,701		35,746
Accounts receivable, net		39,814			40,262			76,373			147,624		293,369		47,089
Total current assets		133,522			213,838			193,957			1,551,221		1,263,157		202,752
Restricted cash (non-current asset)		—			—			—			—		221,628		35,574
Total assets		263,067			347,123			725,587			2,402,952		2,976,919		477,831
Total current liabilities		272,824			315,734			210,559			462,537		810,147		130,042
Total liabilities		307,912			326,929			444,004			733,228		1,087,614		174,578
Total mezzanine equity		991,110			991,110			991,110			—		—		—
Total shareholders’ (deficit) equity		(1,035,955	)		(970,916	)		(709,527	)		1,669,724		1,889,305		303,253

Discussion of Non-GAAP Financial Measures

In evaluating our business, we consider and use the following non-GAAP measures as supplemental measures to review and assess our operating performance: adjusted gross profit, adjusted operating expenses, adjusted net profit and adjusted EBITDA. The presentation of these non-GAAP financial measures is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. We define adjusted gross profit as gross profit excluding share-based compensation expenses and amortization expenses of intangible assets related to acquisitions. We define adjusted operating expenses as operating expenses excluding share-based compensation expenses and changes in the fair value of contingent purchase consideration payable. We define adjusted net profit as net profit (loss) from continuing operations excluding share-based compensation expenses, amortization expenses of intangible assets derived from acquisitions, changes in the fair value of contingent purchase consideration payable and unrecognized tax benefits, tax incentive receipt and outside basis difference. We define adjusted EBITDA as EBITDA excluding share-based compensation expenses and changes in the fair value of contingent purchase consideration payable and EBITDA as net profit (loss) from continuing operations before income tax expense (benefit), foreign exchange gain, other expenses, other income, interest expense, interest income and depreciation and amortization.

The non-GAAP financial measure disclosed by us should not be considered a substitute for financial measures prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. You should carefully to evaluate the financial results we have reported in accordance with U.S. GAAP and our reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP results. The non-GAAP financial measure used by us may be prepared differently from and, therefore, may not be comparable to similarly titled measures used by other companies.

We believe that the use of these non-GAAP measures facilitates investors’ assessment of our operating performance from period to period and from company to company by backing out potential differences caused by variations in items such as capital structures (affecting relative interest expenses), the book amortization of intangibles (affecting relative amortization expenses), the age and book value of property and equipment (affecting relative depreciation expenses) and other non-cash expenses (affecting share-based compensation expenses). We also present these non-GAAP measures because we believe these non-GAAP measures are frequently used by securities analysts, investors and other interested parties as measures of the financial performance of companies in our industry.

These non-GAAP financial measures are not defined under U.S. GAAP and are not measures presented in accordance with U.S. GAAP. These non-GAAP financial measures have limitations as analytical tools, and when assessing our operating performance, investors should not consider them in isolation, or as a substitute for net income (loss) or other consolidated income statement data prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Some of these limitations include, but are not limited to:

•

they do not reflect our cash expenditures or future requirements for capital expenditures or contractual commitments;

•

they do not reflect changes in, or cash requirements for, our working capital needs;

•

they do not reflect the interest expense, or the cash requirements necessary to service interest or principal payments, on our debt;

•

they do not reflect income taxes or the cash requirements for any tax payments;

•

although depreciation and amortization are non-cash charges, the assets being depreciated and amortized often will have to be replaced in the future, and adjusted net profit, adjusted EBITDA do not reflect any cash forward looking requirements for such replacements;

•

while share-based compensation is a component of cost of revenues and operating expenses, the impact to our financial statements compared to other companies can vary significantly due to such factors as assumed life of the options and assumed volatility of our ordinary shares; and

•

other companies may calculate adjusted gross profit, adjusted operating expenses, adjusted net profit and adjusted EBITDA differently than we do, limiting the usefulness of these non-GAAP measures as comparative measures.

We compensate for these limitations by relying primarily on our U.S. GAAP results and using adjusted gross profit, adjusted operating expenses, adjusted net profit and adjusted EBITDA only as supplemental measures. Our adjusted gross profit, adjusted operating expenses, adjusted net profit and adjusted EBITDA are calculated as follows for the periods presented:


	For the Year Ended December 31,
	2008			2009			2010			2011			2012
	RMB			RMB			RMB			RMB			RMB			US$
	(in thousands)
Gross profit		66,173			84,331			128,345			276,558			425,681			68,326
Plus: share-based compensation expenses		—			—			4,645			2,157			4,517			725
Plus: amortization expenses of intangible assets derived from acquisitions		2,332			2,147			9,000			28,388			27,183			4,363

Adjusted gross profit		68,505			86,478			141,990			307,103			457,381			73,414

Operating expenses		(58,806	)		(57,196	)		(361,151	)		(261,653	)		(344,742	)		(55,335	)
Plus: share-based compensation expenses		—			—			273,236			39,802			63,115			10,131
Plus: changes in the fair value of contingent purchase consideration payable		—			—			7,537			63,185			17,430			2,798

Adjust operating expenses		(58,806	)		(57,196	)		(80,378	)		(158,666	)		(264,197	)		(42,406	)

Net profit (loss) from continuing operation		10,608			59,981			(234,715	)		45,939			57,656			9,252
Plus: share-based compensation expenses		—			—			277,881			41,959			67,632			10,856
Plus: amortization of intangible assets derived from acquisitions		2,332			2,147			9,000			28,388			27,183			4,363
Plus: changes in the fair value of contingent purchase consideration payable and related deferred tax impact		(5,274	)		(37,226	)		7,288			53,707			14,816			2,378

Adjusted net profit		7,666			24,902			59,454			169,993			167,287			26,849

Operating profit (loss)		7,367			27,135			(232,806	)		14,905			80,939			12,991
Plus: depreciation		12,263			15,990			19,673			58,873			92,787			14,893
Plus: amortization		2,916			4,985			11,372			30,104			35,377			5,678
Plus: share-based compensation expenses		—			—			277,881			41,959			67,632			10,856
Plus: changed in the fair value of contingent purchase consideration payable		—			—			7,537			63,185			17,430			2,798

Adjusted EBITDA		22,546			48,110			83,657			209,026			294,165			47,216

Exchange Rate Information

All of our operations are conducted in China and all of our revenues are denominated in Renminbi. This annual report contains translations of Renminbi amounts into U.S. dollars at specific rates solely for the convenience of the reader. For all dates and periods through December 31, 2008, the conversion of RMB into U.S. dollars in this annual report is based on the noon buying rate in New York City for cable transfers of RMB as certified for customs purposes by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. For January 1, 2009 and all later dates and periods, the exchange rate refers to the exchange rate as set forth in the H.10 statistical release of the Federal Reserve Board. Unless otherwise noted, all translations from RMB to U.S. dollars and from U.S. dollars to RMB in this annual report were made at a rate of RMB6.2301 to US$1.00, the noon buying rate in effect as of December 31, 2012. We make no representation that any RMB or U.S. dollar amounts could have been, or could be, converted into U.S. dollars or RMB, as the case may be, at any particular rate, or at all. The PRC government imposes control over its foreign currency reserves in part through direct regulation of the conversion of RMB into foreign exchange and through restrictions on foreign trade. On April 12, 2013, the noon buying rate was RMB6.1914 to US$1.00.

The following table sets forth information concerning exchange rates between the RMB and the U.S. dollar for the periods indicated.


	Noon Buying Rate
Period	Period-End		Average ⁽¹⁾		Low		High
	(RMB per U.S. Dollar)
2008		6.8225		6.9193		7.2946		6.7800
2009		6.8259		6.8295		6.8470		6.8176
2010		6.6000		6.7696		6.8330		6.6000
2011		6.2939		6.4475		6.6364		6.2939
2012		6.2301		6.3093		6.3879		6.2221
October		6.2372		6.2627		6.2877		6.2372
November		6.2265		6.2338		6.2454		6.2221
December		6.2301		6.2328		6.2502		6.2251
2013
January		6.2186		6.2215		6.2303		6.2134
February		6.2213		6.2323		6.2438		6.2213
March		6.2108		6.2154		6.2246		6.2105
April (through April 12, 2013)		6.1914		6.1991		6.2078		6.1914

Source: Federal Reserve Statistical Release

(1)	Annual averages are calculated using the average of month-end rates of the relevant year. Monthly averages are calculated using the average of the daily rates during the relevant period.

B. Capitalization and Indebtedness

Not applicable.

C. Reasons for the Offer and Use of Proceeds

Not applicable.

D. Risk Factors

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry

We may not be able to successfully implement our growth strategies.

We plan to further increase our services capacities. We plan to increase the aggregate number of cabinets under our management from 11,917 cabinets as of December 31, 2012 to more than 20,000 cabinets by the end of 2013 through adding new self-built data centers and partnered data centers. In addition, we plan to expand our private optical fiber network to cover all of our major data centers throughout China and plan to increase our network services capacity. To achieve this expansion plan, we will be required to commit a substantial amount of operating and financial resources. Our planned capital expenditures, together with our ongoing operating expenses, will cause substantial cash outflows. If we are not able to generate sufficient operating cash flows or obtain other types of financings, our ability to fund our growth strategy may be limited. Additional debt or equity financing may not be available when needed or, if available, may not be available on satisfactory terms. Any inability to obtain additional debt or equity financing or to generate sufficient cash from operations may require us to prioritize projects or curtail capital expenditures and could adversely affect our results of operations.

In addition, site selection is a critical factor in our expansion plans, and there may not be suitable properties available with the necessary combination of high power capacity and optical fiber connectivity, which may have a negative impact on our revenue growth. Moreover, we may not have sufficient customer demand in the markets

where our data centers are located. We may overestimate the demand for our services and as a result may increase our data center capacity or expand our internet network more aggressively than needed, resulting in a negative impact to our gross profit margins. Furthermore, the costs of construction and maintenance of new data centers constitute a significant portion of our capital expenditures and operating expenses. If our planned expansion does not achieve the desired results, our operating margins could be materially reduced, which would materially impair our profitability and adversely affect our business and results of operations.

Any significant or prolonged failure in our infrastructure or services would lead to significant costs and disruptions and would reduce our revenues, harm our business reputation and have a material adverse effect on our financial results.

Our data centers, power supplies and network are vulnerable to disruptions and to failure. Problems with the cooling equipment, generators, backup batteries, routers, switches, or other equipment, whether or not within our control, could result in service interruptions and data losses for our customers as well as equipment damage. Our customers locate their computing and networking equipment in our data centers, and any significant or prolonged failure in our infrastructure or services could significantly disrupt the normal business operations of our customers and harm our reputation and reduce our revenue. While we offer data backup services and disaster recovery services, which could mitigate the adverse effects of such a failure, most of our customers do not subscribe for these services. Accordingly, any failure or downtime in one of our data centers could affect many of our customers. The total destruction or severe impairment of any of our data centers could result in significant downtime of our services and loss of customer data. Since our ability to attract and retain customers depends on our ability to provide highly reliable service, even minor interruptions in our service could harm our reputation.

While we have not experienced any material interruptions in the past, services interruptions continue to be a significant risk for us and could materially impact our business. Any services interruptions could:

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require us to waive fees or provide free services;

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cause our customers to seek damages for losses incurred;

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require us to replace existing equipment or add redundant facilities;

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cause existing customers to cancel or elect to not renew their contracts;

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affect our reputation as a reliable provider of data center services; or

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make it more difficult for us to attract new customers or cause us to lose market share.

Any of these events could materially increase our expenses or reduce our revenue, which would have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

We compete with, and our business substantially depends on, China Telecom and China Unicom for hosting facilities and other telecommunication resources.

Our business depends on our relationships with China Telecom and China Unicom, two major telecommunications carriers in China, for hosting facilities and bandwidth, and to some extent, for optical fibers. We directly enter into agreements with the local subsidiaries of China Telecom or China Unicom, from which we lease cabinets in the data centers built and operated by them, with power systems, cabling and wiring and other data center equipment pre-installed. Because each local subsidiary of China Telecom or China Unicom has independent authority and budget to enter into contracts, our contract terms with these subsidiaries vary and are determined on a case-by-case basis. We generally refer to this type of data centers as our “partnered” data centers. As of December 31, 2012, we leased a total of 4,513 cabinets from local subsidiaries of China Telecom and China Unicom that are housed in our 71 partnered data centers, accounting for 37.9% of the total number of our cabinets under management. If we are not able to secure sufficient cabinets from China Unicom and China Telecom, it will have a material adverse effect on our business prospects and results of operations. We also rely on China Telecom and China Unicom for a significant portion of our bandwidth needs and lease optical fibers from them to connect our data centers with each other and with the telecommunications backbones and other

internet service providers, or ISPs. Our agreements with local subsidiaries of China Telecom or China Unicom usually have a one-year term with automatic renewal option. In addition, China Telecom and China Unicom also provide data center services and directly compete with us for customers. See “—We may not be able to compete effectively against our current and future competitors.” We believe that we have good business relationships with China Telecom and China Unicom, and we have access to adequate hosting facilities, bandwidth and optical fibers to provide our services. However, there can be no assurance that we can always secure hosting facilities and bandwidth from China Telecom and China Unicom on commercially acceptable terms, or at all. As a result, our business and results of operations would be materially and adversely affected.

Our leases for data centers could be terminated early, we may not be able to renew our existing leases on commercially reasonable terms, and our rent could increase substantially in the future, which could materially and adversely affect our operations.

We lease buildings with suitable power supplies and safe structures meeting our data center requirements and convert them into data centers by installing power generators, air conditioning systems, cables, cabinets and other equipment. We generally refer to this type of data centers as “self-built” data centers. Our operating leases generally have three to ten year lease terms with renewal options. As of December 31, 2012, our self-built data centers house 7,404 cabinets, or 62.1% of the total number of our cabinets under our management. We plan to renew our existing leases upon expiration. However, we may not be able to renew these leases on commercially reasonable terms, if at all. We may experience an increase in our rent payments. If any such event happens, we may have to relocate our data center equipment and the servers and equipment of our customers to a new building and incur significant cost related to relocation. Any relocation could also affect our ability to provide services and harm our reputation. As a result, our business and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

Investment in broadband wireless access services in Hong Kong may have a material adverse effect on our business prospects and results of operations.

In February 2012, we won a bid for radio spectrum in the 2.3 GHz band to provide broadband wireless access services in Hong Kong for HK$150 million (US$19.3 million). This investment provides us an opportunity to enter into the mobile infrastructure landscape and explore the market potentials in providing wireless solutions. We plan to form a partnership or a joint venture with Hong Kong local carriers and use the broadband wireless access license as an investment in the partnership or joint venture to take advantage of the local knowledge and market intelligence of service providers in Hong Kong. Currently, we do not plan to incur significant capital expenditure to build the infrastructures in Hong Kong by ourselves. However, we have limited experience in providing mobile infrastructure services in Hong Kong. We may not be able to successfully find a Hong Kong local carrier to work with us, and our investment in the broadband wireless access license may divert our management’s attention from our core business in mainland China, which may have a material adverse effect on our business prospects and results of operations.

Difficulties in identifying, consummating and integrating acquisitions and alliances and potential write-off in connection with our investment or acquisitions may have a material and adverse effect on our business and results of operations.

As part of our growth strategy, we have acquired, and may in the future acquire, companies that are complementary to our business. From time to time, we may also make alternative investments and enter into strategic partnerships or alliances as we see fit. For example, in September 2010, we acquired 51% equity interests in two companies that provide managed network services in China and we acquired the remaining 49% in each of these two companies in December 2011. We refer to these two entities as the Managed Network Entities. In October 2011, we acquired Guangzhou Gehua Network Technology and Development Company Limited, or Gehua. In April 2012, we signed an agreement to make an RMB101 million investment as a limited partner in the Yizhuang Venture Investment Fund, a venture capital fund focused on high technology

opportunities in the internet infrastructure sector. In July 2012, we acquired 21ViaNet@Xian Holding Limited (together with its subsidiary in China, “21V Xi’an”) to gain additional cabinets and data center space. In September 2012, we acquired Fastweb International Holdings, or Fastweb, a company that provides content delivery network services in China. In October 2012, we entered into a commercial operator agreement with Microsoft Corporation to expand Microsoft’s premier commercial public cloud services, Office 365 and Windows Azure, in China. In September 2012, we entered into a purchase agreement to acquire the 100% equity interests in iJoy Holding Limited and its subsidiaries (collectively known as “iJoy”) with a purchase consideration of US$22 million in order to expand our CDN services. The acquisition of iJoy has not been closed as of the date of this annual report. In February 2013, we acquired 100% equity interests in Beijing Tianwang Online Communication Technology Co., Ltd., or Beijing Tianwang, and Beijing Yilong Xinda Technology Co., Ltd., or Beijing Yilong Xinda. These two companies principally provide virtual private network services and managed network services. However, past and future acquisitions, partnerships or alliances may expose us to potential risks, including risks associated with:

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the integration of new operations and the retention of customers and personnel;

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significant volatility in our operating profit (loss) due to changes in the fair value of our contingent purchase consideration payable;

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unforeseen or hidden liabilities, including those associated with different business practices;

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the diversion of resources from our existing business and technology;

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failure to achieve synergies with our existing business and generate revenues as anticipated;

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failure of the newly acquired businesses, technologies, services and products to perform as anticipated;

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inability to generate sufficient revenues to offset additional costs and expenses;

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breach or termination of key agreements by the counterparties;

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the costs of acquisitions; or

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the potential loss of, or harm to, relationships with both our employees and customers resulting from our integration of new businesses.

Any of the potential risks listed above could have a material and adverse effect on our ability to manage our business and our results of operation.

In addition, we record goodwill if the purchase price we pay in the acquisitions exceeded the amount assigned to the fair value of the net assets or business acquired. We are required to test our goodwill and intangible assets for impairment annually or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that they may be impaired. We may record impairment of goodwill and acquired intangible assets in connection with our acquisitions if the carrying value of our acquisition goodwill and related acquired intangible assets in connection with our past or future acquisitions are determined to be impaired. We cannot be assured the acquired businesses, technologies, services and products from our past acquisitions and any potential transaction will generate sufficient revenue to offset the associated costs or other potential unforeseen adverse effects on our business. Furthermore, we may need to raise additional debt or sell additional equity or equity-linked securities to make or complete such acquisitions. See “—We may require additional capital to meet our future capital needs, which may adversely affect our financial position and result in additional shareholder dilution.”

We may not be able to increase sales to our existing customers and add new customers, which would adversely affect our results of operations.

Our growth depends on our ability to continue to expand our service offerings to existing customers and attract new customers. We may be unable to sustain our growth for a number of reasons, such as:

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capacity constraints;

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inability to identify new locations or reliable data centers for cooperation or lease;

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a reduction in the demand for our services due to the current or future economic recession;

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inability to market our services in a cost-effective manner to new customers;

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inability of our customers to differentiate our services from those of our competitors or inability to effectively communicate such distinctions;

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inability to successfully communicate the benefits of data center services to businesses;

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the decision of businesses to host their internet infrastructure internally or in other hosting facilities as an alternative to the use of our data center services;

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inability to expand our sales to existing customers; and

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reliability, quality or compatibility problems with our services.

A substantial amount of our past revenues were derived from service upgrades by existing customers. Our costs associated with increasing revenues from existing customers are generally lower than costs associated with generating revenues from new customers. Therefore, slowing revenue growth or declining revenues from our existing customers, even if offset by an increase in revenues from new customers, could reduce our operating margins. Any failure to continue attracting new customers or grow our revenues from existing customers for a prolonged period of time could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

We may not be able to compete effectively against our current and future competitors.

We face competition from various industry players, including carriers such as China Telecom and China Unicom, carrier-neutral service providers in China such as ChinaNetCenter, and the in-house data centers of major corporations, as well as new market entrants in the future. Competition is primarily centered on the quality of service and technical expertise, security, reliability and functionality, reputation and brand recognition, financial strength, the breadth and depth of services offered, and price. Some of our current and future competitors have substantially greater financial, technical and marketing resources, greater brand recognition, and more established relationships in the industry than we do. As a result, some of these competitors may be able to:

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adapt to new or emerging technologies and changes in customer requirements more quickly;

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bundle services and provide at reduced prices;

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take advantage of acquisition and other opportunities more readily;

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adopt more aggressive pricing policies and devote greater resources to the promotion, marketing, and sales of their services; and

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devote greater resources to the research and development of their products and services.

If we are unable to compete effectively and successfully against our current and future competitors, our business prospects, financial condition and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

We depend on third-party suppliers for key elements of our network infrastructure, and our financial performance and results of operation could suffer if we fail to manage supplier issue properly.

To provide connectivity services to our customers, we purchase network connections from several network service providers, primarily China Telecom and China Unicom. We can offer no assurances that these service providers will continue to provide service to us on a cost-effective basis or on otherwise competitive terms, if at all, or that these providers will provide us with additional capacity to adequately meet customer demand or to expand our business. Any of these factors could limit our growth prospects and materially and adversely affect our business.

We also depend on third parties for optical fibers for our data transmission network. We offer no assurance that we will be able to maintain a good relationship with our optical fiber providers or renew our leases on commercially reasonably terms, if at all. The occurrence of these events would materially and adversely affect our ability to provide services and affect our business and results of operations.

In addition, we currently purchase routers, switches and other equipment from a limited number of suppliers. We do not carry significant inventories of the products we purchase, and we have no guaranteed supply arrangements with our suppliers. The loss of a significant vendor could delay any build-out of our infrastructure and increase our costs. If our suppliers fail to provide products or services that comply with evolving internet standards or that interoperate with other products or services we use in our network infrastructure, we may be unable to meet all or a portion of our customer service commitments, which could materially and adversely affect our results.

Our self-built and partnered data centers are vulnerable to security breaches, which could disrupt our operations and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial performance and results of operations.

A party who is able to compromise the security measures of our data centers and networks or the security of our infrastructure could misappropriate either our proprietary information or the information of our customers, or cause interruptions or malfunctions in our operations. In addition, we have limited control over our partnered data centers, which are operated by China Telecom or China Unicom. We may be required to devote significant capital and resources to protect against such threats or to alleviate problems caused by security breaches. As techniques used to breach security change frequently and are generally not recognized until launched against a target, we may not be able to implement security measures in a timely manner or, if and when implemented, we may not be certain whether these measures could be circumvented. Any breaches that may occur could expose us to increased risk of lawsuits, regulatory penalties, loss of existing or potential customers, harm to our reputation and significant increases in our security costs, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial performance and results of operations.

We depend on third parties for telecommunication network services, and increased telecommunications costs may adversely affect our results of operations.

Our success depends in part upon the capacity, reliability, and performance of our network infrastructure, including the capacity leased from our internet bandwidth suppliers, which are primarily China Telecom and China Unicom. We depend on these companies to provide us with uninterrupted and error-free services through their telecommunications networks. However, some of these providers are also our competitors and we exercise little control over our bandwidth suppliers. In addition, we have experienced and expect to continue to experience interruptions or delays in network services. Any failure on our part or the part of our third-party suppliers to achieve or maintain high data transmission capacity, reliability or performance could significantly reduce customer demand for our services and damage our business and reputation.

As our customer base grows and their usage of telecommunications capacity increases, we may be required to make additional investments in our capacity to maintain adequate data transmission speed. The availability of such capacity may be limited or the cost may be unacceptable to us. If adequate capacity is not available to us as our customers’ usage increases, our network may be unable to achieve or maintain sufficiently high data transmission capacity, reliability or performance. In addition, our operating margins may suffer if our bandwidth suppliers increase the prices for their services and we are unable to pass along the increased costs to our customers.

A severe or prolonged downturn in the global or Chinese economy could materially and adversely affect our business and our results of operation.

The global financial markets experienced significant disruptions in 2008 and the United States, Europe and other economies went into recession. The recovery from the lows of 2008 and 2009 was uneven and it is facing

new challenges, including the escalation of the European sovereign debt crisis since 2011 and the slowdown of the Chinese economy in 2012. It is unclear whether the European sovereign debt crisis will be contained and whether the Chinese economy will resume its high growth rate. There is considerable uncertainty over the long-term effects of the expansionary monetary and fiscal policies that have been adopted by the central banks and financial authorities of some of the world’s leading economies, including China. There have also been concerns over unrest in the Middle East and Africa, which have resulted in volatility in oil and other markets, and over the possibility of a war involving Iran. There have also been concerns about the economic effect of the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear crisis in Japan and tensions in the relationship between China and Japan. Economic conditions in China are sensitive to global economic conditions. Our business and operations are primarily based in China and all of our revenues are derived from our operations in China. Accordingly, our financial results have been, and are expected to continue to be, affected by the economy and data center services industry in China. Although the economy in China has grown significantly in the past decades, any severe or prolonged slowdown in the global and/or Chinese economy could reduce our customers’ expenditures for data center service, which in turn may adversely affect our results of operations and financial condition. The growth rate of China’s GDP decreased in 2012 and recovery from the slowdown was weak in the first quarter of 2013. Any prolonged slowdown in the global or Chinese economy may have a negative impact on our business, results of operations and financial condition, and continued turbulence in the international markets may adversely affect our ability to access the capital markets to meet liquidity needs.

If we are unable to meet our customers’ requirements, our reputation and results of operations could suffer.

Our agreements with our customers contain certain guarantees regarding our performance. For hosting services, we guarantee 99.99% uptime for power and 99.9% uptime for network connectivity, failure of which will cause us to provide free service for the following month. Although we have not had any material customer claims for power failures or network disruptions, our success depends on our ability to meet or exceed our customers’ expectations. We have not had any major customer service issues in the past. However, if in the future we are unable to provide customers with quality customer support, we could face customer dissatisfaction, decreased overall demand for our services, and loss of revenue. In addition, inability to meet customer service expectations may damage our reputation and could consequently limit our ability to retain existing customers and attract new customers, which would adversely affect our ability to generate revenue and negatively impact our results of operations.

We rely on customers in the internet industry for most of our revenues.

We derived over a majority of our revenues in 2012 from customers in China’s internet industry, including online media, e-commerce, online game companies, portals and search engines. The business models of some internet companies are relatively new and have not been well proven. Many internet companies base their business prospects on the continued growth of China’s internet market, which may not happen as expected. In addition, our business would suffer if companies in China’s internet sector reduce the outsourcing of their data center services. If any of these events happen, we may lose customers or have difficulties in selling our services, which would materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations.

We may require additional capital to meet our future capital needs, which may adversely affect our financial position and result in additional shareholder dilution.

We will require significant capital expenditures to fund our future growth. We may need to raise additional funds through equity or debt financings in the future in order to meet our capital needs in relation to the construction of our self-built data centers. In March 2013, we issued RMB1 billion (US$160.5 million) in aggregate principal amount of RMB denominated bonds due 2016 with a coupon rate of 7.875% per annum, or the 2016 Bonds. Interest on the 2016 Bonds is payable semi-annually in arrears on, or nearest to, March 22 and September 22 in each year, beginning on September 22, 2013. The 2016 Bonds have restrictive covenants relating to financial ratios as well as our capital raising activities and other financial and operational matters, which may make it more difficult for us to obtain additional capital and to pursue business opportunities,

including potential acquisitions. Such covenants restrict our abilities to declare dividends or incur or guarantee additional indebtedness, among other things. In addition, if we raise additional funds through further issuances of equity or equity-linked securities, our existing shareholders could suffer significant dilution in their percentage ownership of our company, and any new equity securities we issue could have rights, preferences, and privileges senior to those of holders of our ADSs or ordinary shares.

Servicing our debt requires a significant amount of cash, and we may not have sufficient cash flow from our business to pay our debt.

Our ability to make scheduled payments of the principal of, to pay interest on or to refinance our indebtedness, including the 2016 Bonds, depends on our future performance, which is subject to economic, financial, competitive and other factors beyond our control. Our business may not continue to generate cash flow from operations in the future sufficient to service our debt and make necessary capital expenditures. If we are unable to generate such cash flow, we may be required to adopt one or more alternatives, such as selling assets, restructuring debt or obtaining additional equity capital on terms that may be onerous or highly dilutive. Our ability to refinance our indebtedness will depend on the capital markets and our financial condition at such time. We may not be able to engage in any of these activities or engage in these activities on desirable terms, which could result in a default on our debt obligations.

As of December 31, 2012, our total consolidated indebtedness and other liabilities (including trade payables, but excluding intercompany obligations and liabilities of a type not required to be reflected on a balance sheet of our subsidiaries or consolidated affiliated entities in accordance with U.S. GAAP) was RMB684.9 million (US$109.9 million). After giving effect to the issuance of the 2016 Bonds, our total consolidated indebtedness and other liabilities would have been RMB1.7 billion (US$270.4 million). Failure to servicing our debt would constitute an event of default under the bonds, which would have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Occurrence of any change of control could cause us to make an offer to repurchase the 2016 Bonds.

Under the terms of the 2016 Bonds, at any time following the occurrence of a change of control event, we will be required to make an offer to repurchase all or, at the bondholder’s option, any part, of each bondholder’s bonds at 101% of the aggregate principal amount of the bonds repurchased plus accrued and unpaid interest, if any, on the bonds repurchased. If such a change of control event were to occur, we may not have sufficient cash and may not be able to arrange financing to redeem the bonds in time, or on acceptable terms, or at all. Failure to repay, repurchase or redeem tendered bonds by us would constitute an event of default under the bonds, which would have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

If we are unable to comply with the restrictions and covenants contained in our debt agreements, an event of default could occur under the terms of such agreements, which could cause repayment of such debt to be accelerated.

If we are unable to comply with the restrictions and covenants in our current or future debt and other agreements, there could be a default under the terms of these agreements. In the event of a default under these agreements, the holders of the debt could terminate their commitments to lend to us, accelerate the debt and declare all amounts borrowed due and payable or terminate the agreements, whichever the case may be.

Furthermore, some of our debt agreements, including the Bonds, may contain cross-acceleration or cross-default provisions. As a result, our default under one debt agreement may cause the acceleration of debt, including the Bonds, or result in a default under our other debt agreements, including the Bonds. If any of these events occur, we cannot assure you that our assets and cash flow would be sufficient to repay in full all of our indebtedness, or that we would be able to find alternative financing. Even if we could obtain alternative financing, we cannot assure you that it would be on terms that are favorable or acceptable to us.

Increased power costs and limited availability of electrical resources may adversely affect our results of operations.

Costs of power account for a significant portion of our overall costs for both our self-built data centers and partnered data centers. We may not be able to pass on increased power costs to our customers, which could harm our results of operations. Power and cooling requirements at our data centers are also increasing as a result of the increasing power demands of today’s servers. Since we rely on third parties to provide our data centers with power, our data centers could have a limited or inadequate access to power. Our customers’ demand for power may also exceed the power capacity in our older data centers, which may limit our ability to fully utilize these data centers. This could adversely affect our relationships with our customers, which could harm our business and have an adverse effect on our results of operations.

If we are unable to manage our growth effectively, our financial results could suffer.

The growth of our business and our service offerings may strain our operating and financial resources. Furthermore, we intend to continue expanding our overall business, customer base, headcount, and operations. Managing a geographically dispersed workforce requires substantial management effort and significant additional investment in our operating and financial system capabilities and controls. If our information systems are unable to support the demands placed on them by our growth, we may need to implement new systems, which would be disruptive to our business. We may also initiate similar network upgrade in the future if required by our operations. We may be unable to manage our expenses effectively in the future due to the expenses associated with these expansions and such expansions or upgrade may cause disruption of services to our customers, which may negatively impact our net revenues and operating expenses. If we fail to improve our operational systems or to expand our customer service capabilities to keep pace with the growth of our business, we could experience customer dissatisfaction, cost inefficiencies, and lost revenue opportunities, which may materially and adversely affect our results of operations.

If we are unable to adapt to evolving technologies and customer demands in a timely and cost-effective manner, our ability to sustain and grow our business may suffer.

To be successful, we must adapt to our rapidly changing market by continually improving the performance, features, and reliability of our services and modifying our business strategies accordingly. We could also incur substantial costs if we need to modify our services or infrastructure in order to adapt to these changes. We may not be able to timely adapt to changing technologies, if at all. Our ability to sustain and grow our business would suffer if we fail to respond to these changes in a timely and cost-effective manner. New technologies or industry standards have the potential to replace or provide lower cost alternatives to our data center services. The adoption of such new technologies or industry standards could render some or all of our services obsolete or unmarketable. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to identify the emergence of all of these new service alternatives successfully, modify our services accordingly, or develop and bring new products and services to market in a timely and cost-effective manner to address these changes. If and when we do identify the emergence of new service alternatives and introduce new products and services to market, those new products and services may need to be made available at lower price points than our then-current services. Failure to provide services to compete with new technologies or the obsolescence of our services could lead us to lose current and potential customers or could cause us to incur substantial costs, which would harm our results of operations and financial condition. Our introduction of new alternative products and services that have lower price points than current offerings may result in our existing customers switching to the lower cost products, which could reduce our revenues and have a material adverse effect of our results of operations.

If we fail to maintain a strong brand name, we may lose our existing customers and have difficulties attracting new customers, which may have an adverse effect on our business and results of operation.

We have built a strong brand in Chinese, “ LOGO ”, among our customers. As our business grows, we plan to continue to focus our efforts to establish a wider recognition of our brand to attract potential customers. We cannot assure you that we will effectively allocate our resources for these activities or succeed in maintaining

and broadening our brand recognition among customers. Our major brand names and logos are registered trademarks in China. However, preventing trademark and trade name infringement or misuse could be difficult, costly and time-consuming, particularly in China. There had been incidents in the past where third parties used our brand without our authorization and we had to resort to litigation to protect our intellectual property rights. We may continue to experience similar disputes in the future or otherwise fail to fully protect our brand name, which may have an adverse effect on our business and financial results.

Rapid urbanization and changes in zoning and urban planning in China may cause our leased properties to be demolished, removed or otherwise affected.

China is undergoing a rapid urbanization process, and zoning requirements and other governmental mandates with respect to urban planning of a particular area may change from time to time. When there is a change in zoning requirements or other governmental mandates with respect to the areas where our data centers are located, the affected data centers may need to be demolished and removed. As a result, we may have to relocate our data centers to other locations. We have not experienced such demolition and relocation in the past, but we cannot assure you that we will not experience demolitions or interruptions of our data center operations due to zoning or other local regulations. Any such demolition and relocation could cause us to lose primary locations for our data centers and we may not be able to achieve comparable operation results following the relocations. While we may be reimbursed for such demolition and relocation, we cannot assure you that the reimbursement, as determined by the relevant government authorities, will be sufficient to cover our direct and indirect losses. Accordingly, our business, results of operations and financial condition may be materially and adversely affected.

Our business depends substantially on the continuing efforts of our executives, and our business may be severely disrupted if we lose their services.

Our future success heavily depends upon the continued services of our executives and other key employees. In particular, we rely on the expertise and experience of Sheng Chen, our co-founder, chairman of the board of directors and chief executive officer, and Jun Zhang, our co-founder and chief operating officer. We rely on their industry expertise, their experience in our business operations and sales and marketing, and their working relationships with our employees, our other major shareholders, our clients and relevant government authorities. If one or more of our senior executives were unable or unwilling to continue in their present positions, we might not be able to replace them easily or at all. If any of our senior executives joins a competitor or forms a competing company, we may lose clients, suppliers, key professionals and staff members. Each of our executive officers has entered into an employment agreement with us, which contains non-competition provisions. However, if any dispute arises between our executive officers and us, we cannot assure you the extent to which any of these agreements could be enforced in China, where these executive officers reside, in light of the uncertainties with China’s legal system. See “—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—Uncertainties with respect to the PRC legal system could limit legal protections available to you and us.”

If we are unable to recruit or retain qualified personnel, our business could be harmed.

We must continue to identify, hire, train, and retain IT professionals, technical engineers, operations employees, and sales and management personnel who maintain relationships with our customers and who can provide the technical, strategic, and marketing skills required for our company to grow. There is a shortage of qualified personnel in these fields, and we compete with other companies for the limited pool of these personnel. Any failure to recruit and retain necessary technical, managerial, sales, and marketing personnel, including but not limited to members of our executive team, could harm our business and our ability to grow.

The uncertain economic environment may continue to have an adverse impact on our business and financial condition.

The uncertain economic environment could have an adverse effect on our liquidity. While we believe we have a strong customer base, if the current market conditions were to worsen, some of our customers may have difficulty paying us and we may experience increased churn in our customer base and reductions in their commitments to us. We may also be required to further increase our allowance for doubtful accounts and our results would be negatively impacted. Our sales cycle could also be lengthened if customers slow spending, or delay decision-making, on our products and services, which could adversely affect our revenues growth and our ability to recognize revenue. Finally, we could also experience pricing pressure as a result of economic conditions if our competitors lower prices and attempt to lure away our customers with lower cost solutions. Finally, our ability to access the capital markets may be severely restricted at a time when we would like, or need, to do so which could have an impact on our flexibility to pursue additional expansion opportunities and maintain our desired level of revenue growth in the future.

Our results of operations have fluctuated and may continue to fluctuate, which could make our future results difficult to predict. This may also result in significant volatility in, and otherwise adversely affect, the market for our ADSs.

Our results of operations have fluctuated and may continue to fluctuate due to a variety of factors, including many of the risks described in this section, which are outside of our control. As a result, comparing our results of operations on a period-to-period basis may not be meaningful. You should not rely on our results of operations for any prior periods as an indication of our future operating performance. Fluctuations in our revenue can lead to even greater fluctuations in our results of operations. Our budgeted expense levels depend in part on our expectations of long-term future revenue. Given relatively fixed operating costs related to our personnel and facilities, any substantial adjustment to our expenses to account for lower than expected levels of revenue will be difficult and time consuming. Consequently, if our revenues do not meet projected levels, our operating performance will be negatively affected. Fluctuations in our results of operations could result in significant volatility in, and otherwise.

If we fail to maintain an effective system of internal control over financial reporting, we may be unable to accurately report our financial results or prevent fraud, and investor confidence in our company and the market price of our ADSs may be adversely affected.

The SEC, as required by Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, or the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, adopted rules requiring most public companies to include a management report on such company’s internal control over financial reporting in its annual report, which contains management’s assessment of the effectiveness of the company’s internal control over financial reporting. In addition, when a company meets the SEC’s criteria, an independent registered public accounting firm must report on the effectiveness of the company’s internal control over financial reporting.

Our management and independent registered public accounting firm have concluded that our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2012 was effective. However, we cannot assure you that in the future our management or our independent registered public accounting firm will not identify material weaknesses during the Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act audit process or for other reasons. In addition, because of the inherent limitations of internal control over financial reporting, including the possibility of collusion or improper management override of controls, material misstatements due to error or fraud may not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. As a result, if we fail to maintain effective internal control over financial reporting or should we be unable to prevent or detect material misstatements due to error or fraud on a timely basis, investors could lose confidence in the reliability of our financial statements, which in turn could harm our business, results of operations and negatively impact the market price of our ADSs, and harm our reputation. Furthermore, we have incurred and expect to continue to incur considerable costs and to use significant management time and other resources in an effort to comply with Section 404 and other requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act.

Compliance with rules and regulations applicable to companies publicly listed in the United States is costly and complex and any failure by us to comply with these requirements on an ongoing basis could negatively affect investor confidence in us and cause the market price of our ADSs to decrease.

In addition to Section 404, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act also mandates, among other things, that companies adopt corporate governance measures, imposes comprehensive reporting and disclosure requirements, sets strict independence and financial expertise standards for audit committee members, and imposes civil and criminal penalties for companies, their chief executive officers, chief financial officers and directors for securities law violations. For example, in response to the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, NASDAQ has adopted additional comprehensive rules and regulations relating to corporate governance. These laws, rules and regulations have increased the scope, complexity and cost of our corporate governance and reporting and disclosure practices. Our current and future compliance efforts will continue to require significant management attention. In addition, our board members, chief executive officer and chief financial officer could face an increased risk of personal liability in connection with the performance of their duties. As a result, we may have difficulty attracting and retaining qualified board members and executive officers to fill critical positions within our company. Any failure by us to comply with these requirements on an ongoing basis could negatively affect investor confidence in us, cause the market price of our ADSs to decrease or even result in the delisting of our ADSs from NASDAQ.

We are subject to China’s anti-corruption laws and the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Our failure to comply with these laws could result in penalties, which could harm our reputation and have an adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We are subject to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, or the FCPA, which generally prohibits companies and anyone acting on their behalf from offering or making improper payments or providing benefits to foreign officials for the purpose of obtaining or keeping business, along with various other anti-corruption laws, including China’s anti-corruption laws. Our existing policies prohibit any such conduct and we are in the process of implementing additional policies and procedures designed to ensure that we, our employees and intermediaries comply with the FCPA and other anti-corruption laws to which we are subject. There is, however, no assurance that such policies or procedures will work effectively all the time or protect us against liability under the FCPA or other anti-corruption laws for actions taken by our employees and intermediaries with respect to our business or any businesses that we may acquire. We operate in the data center services industry in China and generally purchase our hosting facilities and telecommunications resources from state or government-owned enterprises and sell our services domestically to customers that include state or government-owned enterprises or government ministries, departments and agencies. This puts us in frequent contact with persons who may be considered “foreign officials” under the FCPA, resulting in an elevated risk of potential FCPA violations. If we are found to be not in compliance with the FCPA and other applicable anti-corruption laws governing the conduct of business with government entities or officials, we may be subject to criminal and civil penalties and other remedial measures, which could have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations. Any investigation of any potential violations of the FCPA or other anti-corruption laws by U.S. or foreign authorities, including Chinese authorities, could adversely impact our reputation, cause us to lose customer sales and access to hosting facilities and telecommunications resources, and lead to other adverse impacts on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

If we fail to protect our intellectual property rights, our business may suffer.

We consider our copyrights, trademarks, trade names and internet domain names invaluable to our ability to continue to develop and enhance our brand recognition. Historically, the PRC has afforded less protection to intellectual property rights than the United States. We utilize proprietary know-how and trade secrets and employ various methods to protect such intellectual property. Unauthorized use of our copyrights, trademarks, trade names and domain names may damage our reputation and brand. Preventing copyright, trademark and trade name infringement or misuse could be difficult, costly and time-consuming, particularly in China. The measures we take to protect our copyrights, trademarks and other intellectual property rights are currently based upon a

combination of trademark and copyright laws in China and may not be adequate to prevent unauthorized uses. Furthermore, application of laws governing intellectual property rights in China is uncertain and evolving, and could involve substantial risks to us. If we are unable to adequately protect our trademarks, copyrights and other intellectual property rights in the future, we may lose these rights, our brand name may be harmed, and our business may suffer materially. Furthermore, our management’s attention may be diverted by violations of our intellectual property rights, and we may be required to enter into costly litigation to protect our proprietary rights against any infringement or violation.

We may face intellectual property infringement claims that could be time-consuming and costly to defend. If we fail to defend ourselves against such claims, we may lose significant intellectual property rights and may be unable to continue providing our existing services.

Our technologies and business methods, including those relating to data center services, may be subject to third-party claims or rights that limit or prevent their use. Companies, organizations or individuals, including our competitors, may hold or obtain patents or other proprietary rights that would prevent, limit or interfere with our ability to make, use or sell our services or develop new services, which could make it more difficult for us to operate our business. Intellectual property registrations or applications by others relating to the type of services that we provide may give rise to potential infringement claims against us. In addition, to the extent that we gain greater visibility and market exposure as a public company, we are likely to face a higher risk of being subject to intellectual property infringement claims from third parties. We expect that infringement claims may further increase as the number of products, services and competitors in our market increases. Further, continued success in this market may provide an impetus to those who might use intellectual property litigation as a tool against us.

It is critical that we use and develop our technology and services without infringing the intellectual property rights of third parties, including but not limited to patents, copyrights, trade secrets and trademarks. Intellectual property litigation is expensive and time-consuming and could divert management’s attention from our business. A successful infringement claim against us, whether with or without merit, could, among others things, require us to pay substantial damages, develop non-infringing technology or enter into royalty or license agreements that may not be available on acceptable terms, if at all, and cease making, licensing or using products that have infringed a third party’s intellectual property rights. Protracted litigation could also result in existing or potential customers deferring or limiting their purchase or use of our products until resolution of such litigation, or could require us to indemnify our customers against infringement claims in certain instances. Any intellectual property litigation could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations or financial condition.

If we fail to defend ourselves against any intellectual property infringement claim, we may lose significant intellectual property rights and may be unable to continue providing our existing services, which could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and business prospects.

We have granted, and may continue to grant, stock options and other forms of share-based incentive awards, which may result in significant share-based compensation expenses.

As of the date of this annual report, we have options to purchase 16,909,914 ordinary shares and 817,722 restricted share units, or RSUs, issued and outstanding under our 2010 share incentive plan. See “Item 6.B—Compensation of Directors and Executive Officers—Share Incentive Plan.” For the year ended December 31, 2012, we recorded RMB67.6 million (US$10.9 million) in share-based compensation expenses. We believe share-based incentive awards enhance our ability to attract and retain key personnel and employees, and we will continue to grant stock options and other share-based awards to employees in the future. If our share-based compensation expenses continue to be significant, our results of operations would be materially and adversely affected.

Furthermore, we recorded RMB206.1 million of share-based compensation expenses in connection with 24,826,090 fully-vested ordinary shares issued to Sunrise Corporate Holding Ltd., or Sunrise, a company solely owned by our chairman and chief executive officer. Subsequently, in July 2012, we repurchased 2,686,965 shares

from Sunrise at par value, for the purpose of increasing the maximum aggregate number of shares available for grant under our 2010 share incentive plan by the same amount. We may record share-based compensation expense for a portion or all of the shares that are held by Sunrise or the shares that were added to our 2010 share incentive plan, as amended, again at significantly different values if our chairman and chief executive officer decides at a future date to transfer a portion of these shares to existing and former employees of our company. Any share-based shareholder contribution, if and when made by our chairman and chief executive officer for the benefit of our company, would be required to be recognized as share-based compensation expenses within our results of operations, which would be derived from the estimated fair value of the ordinary share award on the transfer date. Our future results of operations may be materially and adversely affected if a significant amount of share-based compensation is recorded in connection with such future transfers of these ordinary shares.

We may not have adequate insurance coverage to protect us from potential losses.

Our operations are subject to hazards and risks normally associated with daily operations for our data centers. Currently, we maintain insurance policies for our equipment, but we do not maintain any business interruption insurance or third-party liability insurance. Insurance companies in China currently do not offer as extensive an array of insurance products as insurance companies do in more developed economies. The occurrence of any events not covered by our limited insurance coverage may result in interruption of our operations and subject us to significant losses or liabilities. In addition, any losses or liabilities that are not covered by our current insurance policies or are not insured at all may have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We face risks related to natural disasters, health epidemics and other outbreaks, which could significantly disrupt our operations.

Our business could be materially and adversely affected by natural disasters or public health emergencies, such as the outbreak of avian influenza, severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, or another epidemic. On May 12, 2008 and April 14, 2010, severe earthquakes hit part of Sichuan province in southeastern China and part of Qinghai province in western China, respectively, resulting in significant casualties and property damage. While we did not suffer any loss or experience any significant increase in cost resulting from these earthquakes, if a similar disaster were to occur in the future that affected Beijing or another city where we have major operations, our operations could be materially and adversely affected due to loss of personnel and damages to property. In addition, a similar disaster affecting a larger, more developed area could also cause an increase in our costs resulting from the efforts to resurvey the affected area. Even if we are not directly affected, such a disaster could affect the operations or financial condition of our customers and suppliers, which could harm our results of operations.

In April 2009, a new strain of influenza A virus subtype H1N1, commonly referred to as “swine flu,” was first discovered in North America and quickly spread to other parts of the world, including China. In early June 2009, the World Health Organization declared the outbreak to be a pandemic, while noting that most of the illnesses were of moderate severity. The PRC Ministry of Health has reported several hundred deaths caused by influenza A (H1N1). In March 2013, a new virus subtype H7N9, commonly known as “bird flu” or “avian flu,” was discovered in eastern China and has already sickened and killed some people. It is unclear how this virus will spread, which makes it difficult to predict its potential impact. Any outbreak of avian flu, SARS, influenza A (H1N1), or their variations, or other adverse public health epidemic in China may have a material and adverse effect on our business operations. These occurrences could require the temporary closure of our offices or prevent our staff from traveling to our customers’ offices to provide on-site services. Such closures could severely disrupt our business operations and adversely affect our results of operations.

Our independent registered public accounting firm, like other independent registered public accounting firms operating in China, is not permitted to be subject to inspection by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board and, as such, you are deprived of the benefits of such inspection.

Our independent registered public accounting firm that issues the audit reports included in our annual reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or SEC, as auditors of companies that are traded publicly in the United States and a firm registered with the U.S. Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States), or the PCAOB, is required by the laws of the United States to undergo regular inspections by the PCAOB to assess its compliance with the laws of the United States and professional standards. Because our auditors are located in the People’s Republic of China, a jurisdiction where the PCAOB is currently unable to conduct inspections without the approval of the Chinese authorities, our auditors are currently not inspected by the PCAOB.

Inspections of other firms that the PCAOB has conducted outside China have identified deficiencies in those firms’ audit procedures and quality control procedures, which may be addressed as part of the inspection process to improve future audit quality. This lack of the PCAOB inspections in China prevents PCAOB from regularly evaluating our auditor’s audits and its quality control procedures. As a result, investors may be deprived of the benefits of PCAOB inspections.

The inability of the PCAOB to conduct inspections of auditors in China makes it more difficult to evaluate the effectiveness of our auditor’s audit procedures or quality control procedures as compared to auditors outside of China that are subject to PCAOB inspections. Investors may lose confidence in our reported financial information and procedures and the quality of our financial statements, which may have a material adverse effect on our ADS price.

We may be adversely affected by the outcome of the administrative proceedings brought by the SEC against five accounting firms in China.

The SEC has brought administrative proceedings against five accounting firms in China recently, alleging that they refused to produce audit work papers and other documents related to certain China-based companies under investigation by the SEC for potential accounting fraud. We were not and are not subject to any SEC investigations, nor are we involved in the proceedings brought by the SEC against the accounting firms. However, the independent registered public accounting firm that issues the audit reports included in our annual reports filed with the SEC is one of the five accounting firms named in the SEC’s proceedings and we may be adversely affected by the outcome of the proceedings, along with other U.S.-listed companies audited by these accounting firms. If the SEC prevails in the proceedings, our independent registered public accounting firm and other four accounting firms in China that were named in the proceedings may be barred from practicing before the SEC and hence unable to continue to be the auditors for China-based companies listed in the U.S. like ourselves. If none of the China-based auditors are able to continue to be auditors for China-based companies listed in the U.S., we will not be able to meet the reporting requirements under the Exchange Act, which may ultimately result in our deregistration by the SEC and delisting from NASDAQ.

Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure

If the PRC government finds that the arrangements that establish the structure for operating our business do not comply with PRC government restrictions on foreign investment in the telecommunications business or if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change in the future, we could be subject to severe penalties or be forced to relinquish our interests in those operations.

The PRC government regulates telecommunications-related businesses through strict business licensing requirements and other government regulations. These laws and regulations also include limitations on foreign ownership of PRC companies that engage in telecommunications-related businesses. Specifically, foreign investors are not allowed to own more than a 50% equity interest in any PRC company engaging in value-added telecommunications businesses.

Because we are a Cayman Islands company, we are classified as a foreign enterprise under PRC laws and regulations, and our wholly-owned PRC subsidiary, 21Vianet Data Center Co., Ltd., or 21Vianet China, is a foreign-invested enterprise. To comply with PRC laws and regulations, we conduct our business in China through contractual arrangements with Beijing aBitCool Network Technology Co., Ltd., or 21Vianet Technology, and its shareholders. These contractual arrangements provide 21Vianet China with effective control over 21Vianet Technology and its subsidiaries, and enable us to receive substantially all of the economic benefits of 21Vianet Technology and its subsidiaries in consideration for the services provided by 21Vianet China, and have an exclusive option to purchase all of the equity interest in 21Vianet Technology when permissible under PRC laws. For a description of these contractual arrangements, see “Item 7.B—Related Party Transaction—Contractual Arrangements with Our Variable Interest Entity.”

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, or the MIIT, issued a circular in July 2006 requiring foreign investors to set up a foreign-invested enterprise and obtain a value-added telecommunications business operating license, in order to conduct any value-added telecommunications business in China. Pursuant to this circular, a domestic license holder is prohibited from leasing, transferring or selling the license to foreign investors in any form, and from providing any assistance, including resources, sites or facilities, to foreign investors that conduct value-added telecommunications business in China illegally. Furthermore, the relevant trademarks and domain names that are used in the value-added telecommunications business must be owned by the local license holder or its shareholder. The circular further requires each license holder to have the necessary facilities for its approved business operations and to maintain such facilities in the regions covered by its license. In addition, all value-added telecommunications service providers are required to maintain network and information security in accordance with the standards set forth under relevant PRC regulations. Due to a lack of interpretations from the MIIT, it is unclear what impact this circular will have on us or other similarly situated companies.

We believe that we comply with the current applicable PRC laws and regulations. King & Wood Mallesons, our PRC legal counsel, based on its understanding of the relevant laws and regulations, is of the opinion that each of the contracts among us, 21Vianet China, 21Vianet Technology and the shareholders of 21Vianet Technology governed by PRC law is valid, legally binding and enforceable upon each party of such agreements under PRC laws and regulations, and will not result in any violation of PRC laws or regulations currently in effect. However, as there are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of PRC laws and regulations, including the Regulations on Mergers and Acquisitions of Domestic Enterprises by Foreign Investors, or the M&A Rules, the telecommunications circular described above and the Telecommunications Regulations and the relevant regulatory measures concerning the telecommunications industry, therefore, we cannot assure you that the PRC government that regulate providers of data center service and other participants in the telecommunications industry would agree that our corporate structure or any of the above contractual arrangements comply with PRC licensing, registration or other regulatory requirements, with existing policies or with requirements or policies that may be adopted in the future. PRC laws and regulations governing the validity of these contractual arrangements are uncertain and the relevant government authorities have broad discretion in interpreting these laws and regulations.

If our corporate and contractual structure is deemed by the MIIT, or other regulators having competent authority, to be illegal, either in whole or in part, we may lose control of our consolidated affiliated entities and have to modify such structure to comply with regulatory requirements. However, we cannot assure you that we can achieve this without material disruption to our business. Further, if our corporate and contractual structure is found to be in violation of any existing or future PRC laws or regulations, the relevant regulatory authorities would have broad discretion in dealing with such violations, including:

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revoking our business and operating licenses;

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levying fines on us;

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confiscating any of our income that they deem to be obtained through illegal operations;

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shutting down a portion or all of our networks and servers;

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discontinuing or restricting our operations in China;

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imposing conditions or requirements with which we may not be able to comply;

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requiring us to restructure our corporate and contractual structure;

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restricting or prohibiting our use of the proceeds from overseas offering to finance our PRC affiliated entities’ business and operations; and

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taking other regulatory or enforcement actions that could be harmful to our business.

Furthermore, in connection with litigation, arbitration or other judicial or dispute resolution proceedings, assets under the name of any of record holder of equity interest in our variable interest entity, including such equity interest, may be put under court custody. As the consequence, we cannot be certain that the equity interest will be disposed pursuant to the contractual arrangement or ownership by the record holder of the equity interest. In addition, new PRC laws, rules and regulations may be introduced to impose additional requirements that may be applicable to our corporate structure and contractual arrangements. Occurrence of any of these events could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, if the imposition of any of these penalties or requirement to restructure our corporate structure causes us to lose the rights to direct the activities of our variable interest entity or our right to receive its economic benefits, we would no longer be able to consolidate such variable interest entity. However, we do not believe that such actions would result in the liquidation or dissolution of our company, our wholly-owned subsidiaries in China or our variable interest entity or its subsidiaries. For the years ended December 31, 2010, 2011 and 2012, our variable interest entity and its subsidiaries contributed all of our total net revenues.

Our contractual arrangements with our variable interest entity may result in adverse tax consequences to us.

We could face material and adverse tax consequences if the PRC tax authorities determine that our contractual arrangements with 21Vianet Technology, our variable interest entity, were not made on an arm’s length basis and may adjust our income and expenses for PRC tax purposes by requiring a transfer pricing adjustment. A transfer pricing adjustment could adversely affect us by (i) increasing the tax liabilities of 21Vianet Technology without reducing 21Vianet China’s tax liability, which could further result in late payment fees and other penalties to 21Vianet Technology for underpaid taxes; or (ii) limiting the ability of 21Vianet Technology to obtain or maintain preferential tax treatments and other financial incentives.

We rely on contractual arrangements with our variable interest entity and its shareholders for our China operations, which may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing operational control.

We rely on contractual arrangements with our variable interest entity, 21Vianet Technology, and its shareholders, to operate our business in China. For a description of these contractual arrangements, see “Item 7.B—Related Party Transaction—Contractual Arrangements with Our Variable Interest Entity.” Substantially all of our revenues and cash flows are attributed to our variable interest entity and its subsidiaries. These contractual arrangements may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing us with control over our variable interest entity. If our variable interest entity or its shareholders fail to perform their respective obligations under these contractual arrangements, our recourse to the assets held by our consolidated affiliated entities is indirect and we may have to incur substantial costs and expend significant resources to enforce such arrangements in reliance on legal remedies under PRC law. These remedies may not always be effective, particularly in light of uncertainties in the PRC legal system.

All of these contractual arrangements are governed by PRC law and provide for the resolution of disputes through arbitration in the PRC. Accordingly, these contracts would be interpreted in accordance with PRC law and any disputes would be resolved in accordance with PRC legal procedures. The legal environment in the PRC is not as developed as in other jurisdictions, such as the United States. As a result, uncertainties in the PRC legal system could limit our ability to enforce these contractual arrangements. In the event that we are unable to

enforce these contractual arrangements, or if we suffer significant time delays or other obstacles in the process of enforcing these contractual arrangements, it would be very difficult to exert effective control over our variable interest entity, and our ability to conduct our business and our financial conditions and results of operation may be materially and adversely affected. See “—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—Uncertainties with respect to the PRC legal system could limit legal protections available to you and us.”

The shareholders of our variable interest entity may have potential conflicts of interest with us, which may materially and adversely affect our business and financial condition.

21Vianet Technology is approximately 70% owned by Mr. Sheng Chen, our chairman and chief executive officer and 30% owned by Mr. Jun Zhang, our chief operating officer. Mr. Sheng Chen and Mr. Jun Zhang are also the ultimate shareholders of our company. The interests of Mr. Sheng Chen and Mr. Jun Zhang as the shareholders of our variable interest entity may differ from the interests of our company as a whole, as what is in the best interests of our variable interest entity may not be in the best interests of our company. We cannot assure that when conflicts of interest arise, the shareholders of our variable interest entity will act in the best interests of our company or that conflicts of interest will be resolved in our favor. In addition, the shareholders of our variable interest entity may breach or cause our variable interest entity and its subsidiaries to breach or refuse to renew the existing contractual arrangements with us.

Currently, we do not have arrangements to address potential conflicts of interest the shareholders of our variable interest entity may encounter, on one hand, and as a beneficial owner of our company, on the other hand; provided that we could, at all times, exercise our option under the optional share purchase agreement to cause them to transfer all of their equity ownership in 21Vianet Technology to a PRC entity or individual designated by us as permitted by the then applicable PRC laws. In addition, if such conflicts of interest arise, we could also, in the capacity of attorney-in-fact of the then existing shareholders of our variable interest entity as provided under the power of attorney, directly appoint a new director of 21Vianet Technology. We rely on the shareholders of our variable interest entity to comply with the laws of China, which protect contracts and provide that directors and executives officers owe a duty of loyalty to our company and require them to avoid conflicts of interest and not to take advantage of their positions for personal gains. We also rely on the shareholders of our variable interest entity, who are directors of our company, to abide by the laws of the Cayman Islands, which provide that directors have a duty of care and a duty of loyalty to act honestly in good faith with a view to our best interests. However, the legal frameworks of China and Cayman Islands do not provide guidance on resolving conflicts in the event of a conflict with another corporate governance regime. If we cannot resolve any conflicts of interest or disputes between us and the shareholders of our variable interest entity, we would have to rely on legal proceedings, which could result in disruption of our business and subject us to substantial uncertainty as to the outcome of any such legal proceedings.

Risks Related to Doing Business in China

Adverse changes in political and economic policies of the PRC government could have a material adverse effect on the overall economic growth of China, which could reduce the demand for our services and adversely affect our competitive position.

All of our operations are conducted in China and all of our sales are made in China. Accordingly, our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects are affected significantly by economic, political and legal developments in China. The PRC economy differs from the economies of most developed countries in many respects, including the amount of government involvement, the level of development, the growth rate, the control of foreign exchange and allocation of resources. While the PRC economy has grown significantly over the past several decades, the growth has been uneven across different periods, regions and among various economic sectors of China. We cannot assure you that the PRC economy will continue to grow, or that if there is growth, such growth will be steady and uniform, or that if there is a slowdown, such a slowdown will not have a negative effect on our business.

The PRC government exercises significant control over China’s economic growth through various measures, such as allocation of resources, controlling payment of foreign currency-denominated obligations, setting monetary policy and providing preferential treatment to particular industries or companies. Some of these measures benefit the overall PRC economy, but may also have a negative effect on us. For example, our financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected by governmental control over capital investments or changes in tax regulations that are applicable to us. In addition, it is unclear whether PRC economic policies will be effective in maintaining stable economic growth in the future. Any slowdown in China’s economic growth could lead to reduced demand for our solutions, which could in turn materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Uncertainties with respect to the PRC legal system could limit legal protections available to you and us.

We conduct all of our business through our PRC subsidiaries and consolidated affiliated entities in China. Our operations in China are governed by PRC laws and regulations. Our PRC subsidiaries are foreign-invested enterprises and are subject to laws and regulations applicable to foreign investment in China and, in particular, laws applicable to foreign-invested enterprises. The PRC legal system is a civil law system based on written statutes. Unlike the common law system, prior court decisions may be cited for reference but are not binding.

Since late 1970s, the PRC government has been developing a comprehensive system of laws and regulations governing economic matters in general. The overall effect of legislation over the past several decades has significantly enhanced the protections afforded to various forms of foreign investments in China. However, China has not developed a fully integrated legal system, and recently enacted laws and regulations may not sufficiently cover all aspects of economic activities in China. In particular, because these laws and regulations are relatively new, and because of the limited volume of published decisions and their nonbinding nature, the interpretation and enforcement of these laws and regulations involve uncertainties. In addition, the PRC legal system is based in part on government policies and internal rules, some of which may not be published on a timely basis or at all, and some of which may have a retroactive effect. As a result, we may not be aware of our violation of these policies and rules until sometime after the violation. Any administrative and court proceedings in China may be protracted, resulting in substantial costs and diversion of resources and management attention. However, since PRC administrative and court authorities have significant discretion in interpreting and implementing statutory and contractual terms, it may be more difficult to evaluate the outcome of administrative and court proceedings and the level of legal protection we enjoy than in more developed legal systems. These uncertainties may also impede our ability to enforce the contracts we have entered into. As a result, these uncertainties could materially and adversely affect our business and results of operations.

We rely principally on dividends paid by our operating subsidiaries to fund cash and financing requirements, and limitations on the ability of our operating subsidiaries to make payments to us could have a material adverse effect on our ability to conduct our business and fund our operations.

We are a holding company and conduct all of our business through our operating subsidiaries and our consolidated affiliated entities, which are limited liability companies established in China. We rely principally on dividends paid by our subsidiaries for our cash needs, including the funds necessary to pay dividends and other cash distributions to our shareholders, to service any debt we may incur and to pay our operating expenses. The payment of dividends by entities organized in China is subject to limitations. In particular, regulations in China currently permit payment of dividends only out of accumulated profits as determined in accordance with the PRC accounting standards and regulations. Our PRC subsidiaries are also required to set aside at least 10% of their after-tax profit based on PRC accounting standards each year to their general reserves until the accumulative amount of such reserves reaches 50% of their registered capital. These reserves are not distributable as cash dividends. Furthermore, any portion of its after-tax profits that a subsidiary has allocated to its staff welfare and bonus fund at the discretion of its board of directors is also not distributable as cash dividends. Moreover, if our operating subsidiaries incur any debt on their own behalf in the future, the instruments governing the debt may restrict their ability to pay dividends or make other distributions to us. Any limitation on the ability of our

operating subsidiaries, including in particular 21Vianet China, to distribute dividends and other distributions to us could materially and adversely limit our ability to make investments or acquisitions that could be beneficial to our businesses, pay dividends or otherwise fund and conduct our business.

If we fail to acquire, obtain or maintain applicable telecommunications licenses, or are deemed by relevant governmental authorities to be operating outside the terms of our existing license, our business would be materially and adversely affected.

Pursuant to the Telecommunications Regulations promulgated by the PRC State Council in September 2000, telecommunications businesses are divided into two categories, namely, (i) “basic telecommunications businesses,” which refers to businesses that provide public network infrastructure, public data transmission and basic voice communications services, and (ii) “value-added telecommunications businesses,” which refer to businesses that provide telecommunications and information services through the public network infrastructure. If the value-added telecommunications service covers two or more provinces, autonomous regions or municipalities, such service must be approved by the MIIT and the service provider must obtain a Cross-Regional Value Added Telecommunications License. Pursuant to the Cross-Regional Value Added Technology License issued to Beijing 21Vianet Broad Band Data Center Co., Ltd., or 21Vianet Beijing, by the MIIT on January 17, 2012, 21Vianet Beijing is permitted to carry out its data center business under the first category of “value-added telecommunications business” across nine cities in China. Pursuant to the Value Added Technology License issued to Langfang Xunchi by the Hebei Province Communications Administration for the period from April 10, 2012 to April 10, 2017, Langfang Xunchi is permitted to carry out its data center business under the first category of “value-added telecommunications business” in Langfang. Pursuant to the Value Added Technology License issued to Beijing Chengyishidai Network Technology Co., Ltd., or CYSD, by the Beijing Communications Administration on April 25, 2011, CYSD is permitted to carry out its internet access service business under the second category of “value-added telecommunications business” in Beijing. Pursuant to the Value Added Technology License issued to Gehua by the Guangzhou Communications Administration, Gehua is permitted to carry out its internet access service business and internet information service business under the second category of “value-added telecommunications business” in Guangdong province from December 29, 2011 to December 29, 2016. Pursuant to the Cross-Regional Value Added Technology License issued to Beijing Tianwang by the MIIT on January 7, 2013, Beijing Tianwang is permitted to carry out its virtual private network services under the first category of “value-added telecommunications business” across 25 cities in China. Meanwhile, Beijing Tianwang also holds a Value Added Technology License issued by the Beijing Communications Administration on October 13, 2012, and is permitted to carry out its internet access business under the second category of “value-added telecommunications business” in Beijing.

In connection with our data center services, we provide managed network services that connect our data centers with the telecommunication backbones of China’s major carriers, major non-carriers and ISPs as well as connect servers housed in our data centers. Our managed network services are offered in the form of bandwidth with optimized interconnectivity. Furthermore, we have been continuously developing our hosting service and managed network service to better serve our customers, and as a result, we introduce new technologies and services from time to time to support and improve our current business. Besides, as of the date of this annual report, there is no legal definition as to what constitutes a “managed network services,” nor are there laws or regulations in China specifically governing the managed network services. We cannot assure you that PRC governmental authorities will continue to deem our hosting service and will deem our managed network service and any of our newly developed technologies, network and services used in our business as a type of value-added telecommunications business or a business covered under the Cross-Regional Value Added Telecommunications License of 21Vianet Beijing and the Value Added Technology License issued to CYSD, Gehua, Langfang Xunchi and Beijing Tianwang. As we expand our networks across China, it is also possible that the MIIT, in the future, may deem our operations to have exceeded the terms of our existing licenses. Further, we cannot assure you that 21Vianet Beijing, CYSD, Gehua, Langfang Xunchi and Beijing Tianwang will be able to successfully renew their value added telecommunications business operating licenses upon their expiration, or obtain any other licenses necessary for us to carry out our business, or that our existing licenses will continue to cover all

aspects of our operations upon their renewal. In addition, new laws, regulations or government interpretations may also be promulgated from time to time to regulate the hosting service and managed network service or any of our related technology or services, which may require us to obtain additional, or expand existing, operating licenses or permits. Any of these factors could result in our disqualification from carrying out our current business, causing significant disruption to our business operations which may materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Under the New PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, we may be classified as a “resident enterprise” of China. Such classification could result in unfavorable tax consequences to us and our non-PRC holders of shares and ADSs.

Pursuant to the New PRC Enterprise Income Tax Law, or New EIT Law, and its implementation rules, which became effective on January 1, 2008, an enterprise established outside of China with “de facto management bodies” within China is considered a “resident enterprise,” meaning that it can be treated in a manner similar to a Chinese enterprise for enterprise income tax, or EIT, purposes. Under the implementation rules of New EIT Law, the term “de facto management body” is defined as the management body that exercises full and substantial control and overall management over the business, productions, personnel, accounts and properties of an enterprise. On April 22, 2009, the State Administration of Taxation issued the Notice Regarding the Determination of Chinese-Controlled Offshore Incorporated Enterprises as PRC Tax Resident Enterprises on the Basis of De Facto Management Bodies, or Circular 82, which sets out certain specific criteria for determining whether the “de facto management body” of a Chinese-controlled offshore incorporated enterprise is located in China. Given that the New EIT Law and its implementation rules are relatively new and ambiguous in terms of some definitions, requirements and detailed procedures, it is unclear how tax authorities will determine tax residency based on the facts of each case.

While we believe we are not a PRC resident enterprise, we cannot ensure you that the State Administration of Taxation will not implement Circular 82 or amend the rules in the future to the effect that such rules will apply to us or our wholly-owned subsidiaries in Hong Kong. If the PRC tax authorities determine that we are a “resident enterprise” for PRC EIT purposes, a number of unfavorable PRC tax consequences could follow: (i) we may be subject to EIT at a rate of 25% on our worldwide taxable income as well as PRC EIT reporting obligations; (ii) a 10% withholding tax may be imposed on dividends we pay to our non-PRC holders of shares and ADSs; and (iii) a 10% PRC tax may apply to gains realized by our non-PRC holders of shares and ADSs from transferring our shares or ADSs, if such income is considered PRC-source income.

Similarly, such unfavorable tax consequences could apply to our Hong Kong subsidiaries, if either of them is deemed to be a “resident enterprise” by the PRC tax authorities. Notwithstanding the foregoing provisions, the New EIT Law also provides that the dividends paid between “qualified resident enterprises” are exempt from EIT. If 21Vianet HK is deemed a “resident enterprise” for PRC EIT purposes, the dividends it receives from its PRC subsidiaries, including 21Vianet China, may constitute dividends between “qualified resident enterprises” and therefore qualify for tax exemption. However, the definition of “qualified resident enterprise” is unclear and the relevant PRC government authorities have not yet issued guidance with respect to the processing of outbound remittances to entities that are treated as resident enterprises for PRC EIT purposes. Even if such dividends qualify as “tax-exempt income,” we cannot guarantee that such dividends will not be subject to any withholding tax.

We and our non-resident investors face uncertainty with respect to indirect transfers of equity interests in PRC resident enterprises by their non-PRC holding companies.

Pursuant to the Notice on Strengthening Administration of Enterprise Income Tax for Share Transfers by Non-PRC Resident Enterprises, or Circular 698, issued by the State Administration of Taxation on December 10, 2009 with retroactive effect from January 1, 2008, where a non-PRC resident enterprise transfers the equity interests of a PRC resident enterprise indirectly by disposition of the equity interests of an overseas holding

company, or an indirect transfer, and such overseas holding company is located in a tax jurisdiction that: (i) has an effective tax rate of less than 12.5% or (ii) does not tax foreign income of its residents, the non-PRC resident enterprise, being the transferor, must report this indirect transfer to the competent tax authority of the PRC resident enterprise.

Using a “substance over form” principle, the PRC tax authority may disregard the existence of the overseas holding company if it lacks a reasonable commercial purpose and was established for the purpose of reducing, avoiding or deferring PRC tax. As a result, gains derived from an indirect transfer may be subject to PRC tax at a rate of up to 10%. Circular 698 also provides that, where a non-PRC resident enterprise transfers its equity interests in a PRC resident enterprise to its related parties at a price lower than the fair market value, the relevant tax authority has the power to make a reasonable adjustment to the taxable income of the transaction.

There is uncertainty as to the application of Circular 698. For example, while the term “indirect transfer” is not clearly defined, it is understood that the relevant PRC tax authorities have jurisdiction regarding requests for information over a wide range of foreign entities having no direct contact with China. In addition, there are not any formal declarations with regard to how to determine whether a foreign investor has adopted an abusive arrangement in order to reduce, avoid or defer PRC tax. Circular 698 may be determined by the tax authorities to be applicable to our private equity financing transactions where non-resident investors were involved, if any of such transactions were determined by the tax authorities to lack reasonable commercial purpose. As a result, we and our non-resident investors may be at risk of being taxed under Circular 698 and may be required to expend valuable resources to comply with Circular 698 or to establish that we should not be taxed under Circular 698, which may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations or such non-resident investors’ investments in us.

Discontinuation of any of the preferential tax treatments available to us or imposition of any additional taxes could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

The New EIT Law and its implementation rules, which became effective on January 1, 2008, unified the previously-existing separate income tax laws for domestic enterprises and foreign invested enterprises and adopted a unified 25% EIT rate applicable to all resident enterprises in China, except for certain entities established prior to March 16 that are eligible for their existing preferential tax incentives, adjusted by certain transitional phase-out rules promulgated by the State Council on December 26, 2007. In addition, certain enterprises may enjoy a preferential EIT rate of 15% under the New EIT Law if they qualify as High and New Technology Enterprise, or HNTE, subject to various qualification criteria.

In April 2009, 21Vianet Beijing received an approval of a six-year tax holiday effective from January 1, 2006, which allows it to utilize a three-year 100% tax exemption followed by a three-year 50% reduced EIT rate. In December 2008, 21Vianet Beijing also received an approval as an HNTE and became eligible for a 15% preferential tax rate effective from 2008 to 2010. In September 2011, 21Vianet Beijing renewed its HNTE status and became eligible for a 15% preferential tax rate effective from 2011 and 2013. In accordance with the New EIT Law, in the event that any of the various provisions of the transitional preferential EIT policies, the New EIT Law and its implementing regulations overlap, an enterprise may choose the most favorable policy at its sole and absolute discretion. 21Vianet Beijing chose to apply the tax holiday for the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2011 and enjoyed a preferential tax rate of 12.5%. For the year ended December 31, 2012, 21Vianet Beijing chose to apply the 15% preferential tax rate.

In April 2011, 21Vianet (Xi’an) Information Outsourcing Industry Park Services Co., Ltd., or 21Vianet Xi’an, obtained a written approval from Shaanxi Tax Bureau for a preferential tax rate of 15%. The preferential tax rate is awarded to companies that have operations in certain industries and meet the criteria set forth in the Preferential Tax Policies for Development of the Western Regions. Such qualification for preferential tax rate needs to be assessed on an annual basis. In July 2012, Gehua received an approval as an HNTE and became eligible for a 15% preferential tax rate effective from 2012 to 2014, and for an additional three years thereafter if it is able to meet the technical and administrative requirements for HNTE in those three years. In June 2009, Beijing Fastweb Network Technology Co., Ltd., or Fastweb BJ, received an approval as an HNTE and became

eligible for a 15% preferential tax rate effective from 2009 to 2011, and for an additional three years thereafter if it is able to meet the technical and administrative requirements for HNTE in those three years. Fastweb BJ’s HNTE certificate expired as of December 31, 2011 and a renewed certificate was issued in May 2012, which will expire on December 31, 2014. The qualification as an HNTE is subject to annual administrative evaluation and a three-year review by the relevant authorities in China.

If 21Vianet Beijing is not able to enjoy the tax holiday or if 21Vianet Beijing, 21Vianet Xi’an, Gehua and Fastweb BJ fail to maintain or renew their HNTE status, their applicable EIT rate may be increased to 25%, which could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

The M&A Rules establish complex procedures for some acquisitions of Chinese companies by foreign investors, which could make it difficult for us to pursue growth through acquisitions in China.

The M&A Rules include provisions that purport to require approval of the Ministry of Commerce for acquisitions by offshore entities established or controlled by domestic companies, enterprises or natural persons of onshore entities that are related to such domestic companies, enterprises or natural persons, and prohibit offshore entities from using their foreign-invested subsidiaries in China, or through “other means,” to circumvent such requirement. As part of our growth strategy, we obtained control over 21Vianet Technology on July 15, 2003 by entering into contractual arrangements with 21Vianet Technology and its shareholders. We did not seek the approval of the Ministry of Commerce for these transactions based on the legal advice we obtained from our PRC legal counsel in connection with those transactions. However, the M&A Rules also prohibit companies from using any “other means” to circumvent the approval requirement set forth therein and there is no clear interpretation as to what constitutes “other means” of circumvention of the requirement under the M&A Rules. The Ministry of Commerce and other applicable government authorities would therefore have broad discretion in determining whether an acquisition is in violation of the M&A Rules. If PRC regulatory authorities take a view that is contrary to ours, we could be subject to severe penalties. In addition, part of our growth strategy includes acquiring complementary businesses or assets. Complying with the requirements of the M&A Rule to complete such transactions could be time-consuming, and any required approval processes, including obtaining approval from the Ministry of Commerce, may delay or inhibit the completion of such transactions, which could affect our ability to expand our business or maintain our market share. If any of our acquisitions were subject to the M&A Rule and were found not to be in compliance with the requirements of the M&A Rule in the future, relevant PRC regulatory agencies may impose fines and penalties on our operations in the PRC, limit our operating privileges in the PRC, or take other actions that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations, reputation and prospects.

PRC regulation of loans and direct investment by offshore holding companies to PRC entities may delay or prevent us from using the proceeds from our overseas offerings to make loans or additional capital contributions to our PRC subsidiaries or affiliated entities, which could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.

In utilizing the proceeds we received from our overseas offerings or in other financing activities, as an offshore holding company, we may make loans to our PRC subsidiaries or our consolidated affiliated entities in the PRC, or we may make additional capital contributions to our PRC subsidiaries. Any loans to our PRC subsidiaries or our consolidated affiliated entities in the PRC are subject to PRC regulations. For example, loans by us to our PRC subsidiaries, which are foreign-invested enterprises, to finance their activities cannot exceed statutory limits and must be registered with the State Administration of Foreign Exchange, or SAFE.

We may also decide to finance our operations in China by means of capital contributions. These capital contributions must be approved by the Ministry of Commerce or its local counterpart. We cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain these government approvals on a timely basis, if at all, with respect to future capital contributions by us to our subsidiaries. If we fail to receive such approvals, our ability to use the proceeds from our overseas offerings and to capitalize our PRC operations may be negatively affected, which could adversely affect our liquidity and our ability to fund and expand our business.

Governmental control of currency conversion may limit our ability to receive and utilize our revenues effectively.

All of our revenues and expenses are denominated in Renminbi. Under PRC laws, the Renminbi is currently convertible under the “current account,” which includes dividends, trade and service related foreign exchange transactions, but not under the “capital account,” which includes foreign direct investment and loans, without the prior approval of the SAFE. Currently, our PRC subsidiaries may purchase foreign currencies for settlement of current account transactions, including payments of dividends to us, without the approval of the SAFE. However, foreign exchange transactions by our PRC subsidiaries under the capital account continue to be subject to significant foreign exchange controls and require the approval of or need to register with PRC governmental authorities, including the SAFE. In particular, if our PRC subsidiaries borrow foreign currency loans from us or other foreign lenders, these loans must first be registered with the SAFE. If any of our PRC subsidiaries, which are wholly foreign-owned enterprises, borrows foreign currency, the accumulative amount of its foreign currency loans may not exceed the difference between the total investment and the registered capital of that PRC subsidiary. If we finance our PRC subsidiaries by means of additional capital contributions, these capital contributions must be approved by certain government authorities, including the National Development and Reform Commission, the Ministry of Commerce or their respective local counterparts. Any existing and future restrictions on currency exchange may affect the ability of our PRC subsidiaries or affiliated entities to obtain foreign currencies, limit our ability to meet our foreign currency obligations or otherwise materially and adversely affect our business.

Fluctuation in exchange rates could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and the value of your investment.

The conversion of Renminbi into foreign currencies, including U.S. dollars, is based on rates set by the People’s Bank of China. The PRC government allowed the Renminbi to appreciate by more than 20% against the U.S. dollar between July 2005 and July 2008. Between July 2008 and June 2010, this appreciation was halted and the exchange rate between the Renminbi and the U.S. dollar remained within a narrow band. As a consequence, the Renminbi fluctuated significantly during that period against other freely traded currencies, in tandem with the U.S. dollar. Since June 2010, the PRC government has allowed the Renminbi to appreciate slowly against the U.S. dollar again, though there have been periods recently when the U.S. dollar has appreciated against the Renminbi. The People’s Bank of China decided to further adjust the Renminbi exchange rate regime in April 2012 to enhance the flexibility of the Renminbi exchange rate by enlarging the floating band of the Renminbi’s trading prices against the U.S. dollar in the interbank spot foreign exchange market from 0.5% to 1.0%. It is difficult to predict how market forces or PRC or U.S. government policy may impact the exchange rate between the Renminbi and the U.S. dollar in the future.

There remains significant international pressure on the Chinese government to adopt a substantial liberalization of its currency policy, which could result in further appreciation in the value of the Renminbi against the U.S. dollar. To the extent that we need to convert U.S. dollars into Renminbi for capital expenditures and working capital and other business purposes, appreciation of the Renminbi against the U.S. dollar would have an adverse effect on the Renminbi amount we would receive from the conversion. Conversely, if we decide to convert Renminbi into U.S. dollars for the purpose of making payments for dividends on our ordinary shares or ADSs, strategic acquisitions or investments or other business purposes, appreciation of the U.S. dollar against the Renminbi would have a negative effect on the U.S. dollar amount available to us.

PRC regulations relating to the establishment of offshore special purpose companies by PRC residents may subject our PRC resident beneficial owners to personal liability and limit our ability to acquire PRC companies, to inject capital into our PRC subsidiaries, limit our PRC subsidiaries’ ability to distribute profits to us, or otherwise materially and adversely affect us.

In October 2005, SAFE issued the Circular on the Relevant Issues in the Foreign Exchange Control over Financing and Return Investment Through Special Purpose Companies by Residents Inside China, or Circular 75. According to Circular 75 and the relevant SAFE regulations, prior registration with the local SAFE

branch is required for PRC residents to establish or to control an offshore company for the purposes of financing that offshore company with assets or equity interests in an onshore enterprise located in the PRC. An amendment to registration or filing with the local SAFE branch by such PRC resident is also required for the injection of equity interests or assets of an onshore enterprise in the offshore company or overseas funds raised by such offshore company or another material change involving a change in the capital of the offshore company.

Moreover, Circular 75 applies retroactively. As a result, PRC residents who have established or acquired control of offshore companies that have made onshore investments in the PRC in the past are required to complete the relevant registration with the local SAFE branch. Failure to comply with the registration procedures set forth in Circular 75 may result in restrictions on the foreign exchange activities of the relevant foreign invested enterprises, including the payment of dividends and other distributions, such as proceeds from any reduction in capital, share transfer or liquidation, to its offshore parent or affiliate and the capital inflow from the offshore parent, and may also subject relevant PRC residents to penalties under PRC foreign exchange administration regulations.

A notice issued by SAFE effective on July 1, 2011, which we refer to as Notice 19, further provides detailed provisions and requirements regarding the foreign exchange registration under Circular 75. Under Notice 19, any PRC citizen, resident, or entity which is a direct or indirect shareholder of an offshore entity is required to update any previously filed registration with the local branch of SAFE to reflect any material change in such offshore entity. Moreover, any offshore entity which fails to comply with Circular 75 may remedy by making the registration with the local branch of SAFE after fulfillment of the administrative penalties imposed by the relevant SAFE branch.

Our current PRC resident beneficial owners, including our co-founders Sheng Chen and Jun Zhang, are still in the process of filing the necessary registrations as required under Circular 75. Registration with SAFE may take quite a long time and is subject to SAFE’s discretion to approve such registration. We cannot assure you when our co-founders can successfully complete their registrations. We have also requested other PRC residents holding direct or indirect interest in our company to our knowledge to make the necessary applications, filings and amendments as required under Circular 75, Notice 19 and the relevant SAFE regulations. We attempt to comply, and attempt to ensure that these PRC residents holding direct or indirect interest in our company comply, with the relevant requirements, and those persons holding direct or indirect interests in our securities whose identities and addresses we know and who are subject to Circular 75, Notice 19 and the relevant SAFE regulations have conducted the registration procedures prescribed by Circular 75 and Notice 19 and will update such registration. However, we may not be informed of the identities of all the PRC residents holding direct or indirect interest in our company, and we cannot provide any assurances that these PRC residents will comply with our request to make or obtain any applicable registrations or comply with other requirements required by Circular 75, Notice 19 or the relevant SAFE regulations. The failure or inability of PRC residents, including our co-founders, to make any required registrations or comply with other requirements under Circular 75, Notice 19 and the relevant SAFE regulations may subject such PRC residents or our PRC subsidiaries to fines and legal sanctions and may also limit our ability to contribute additional capital into or provide loans to our PRC subsidiaries and our consolidated affiliated entities, limit our PRC subsidiaries’ ability to pay dividends or otherwise distribute profits to us, or otherwise materially and adversely affect us.

Failure to comply with the registration requirements for employee share option plans may subject our equity incentive plan participants who are PRC residents or us to fines and other legal or administrative sanctions.

Since 2007, SAFE has implemented rules requiring PRC residents who participate in employee stock option plans of overseas publicly listed companies to register with SAFE or its local office and complete certain other procedures. Effective on February 15, 2012, SAFE promulgated the Circular on the Relevant Issues Concerning Foreign Exchange Administration for Domestic Individuals Participating in an Employees Share Incentive Plan of an Overseas-Listed Company, or Circular 7. Under Circular 7, PRC residents who participate in a share incentive plan of an overseas publicly listed company are required to register with SAFE and complete certain

other procedures. PRC residents include directors, supervisors, management and employees of PRC domestic companies specified in the Administrative Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Foreign Exchange, regardless of nationality. Circular 7 further requires that an agent should also be designated to handle matters in connection with the exercise or sale of share options granted under the share incentive plan to participants. We and the PRC residents to whom we have granted stock options are subject to Circular 7. If we or our PRC optionees fail to comply with these regulations, we or our PRC optionees may be subject to fines and other legal or administrative sanctions.

Risks Related to our ADSs

The market price of our ADSs has fluctuated and may continue to be volatile.

The trading prices of our ADSs are likely to be volatile and could fluctuate widely due to factors beyond our control. This may happen because of broad market and industry factors, such as the performance and fluctuation in the market prices or the underperformance or declining financial results of other companies based in China that have listed their securities in the United States in recent years. The securities of some of these companies have experienced significant volatility since their initial public offerings, including, in some cases, substantial price declines in the trading prices of their securities. The trading performances of other Chinese companies’ securities after their offerings may affect the attitudes of investors toward Chinese companies listed in the United States, which consequently may impact the trading performance of our ADSs, regardless of our actual operating performance. The recent ongoing administrative proceedings brought by SEC against five accounting firms in China, alleging that they refused to hand over documents to the SEC for ongoing investigations into certain China-based companies, occurs at a time when accounting scandals have eroded investor appetite for China-based companies. Any other negative news or perceptions about inadequate corporate governance practices or fraudulent accounting, corporate structure or matters of the Chinese companies may also negatively affect the attitudes of investors towards Chinese companies in general, including us, regardless of whether we have conducted any inappropriate activities. In addition, securities markets may from time to time experience significant price and volume fluctuations that are not related to our operating performance, which may have a material and adverse effect on the market price of our ADSs.

In addition, the market price for our ADSs has fluctuated since we first listed our ADSs on the NASDAQ Global Market on April 21, 2011, until April 18, 2013, the trading prices of our ADSs have ranged from US$8.31 to US$22.33 per ADS, and the last reported closing price on April 18, 2013 was US$8.69 per ADS. The market price for our ADSs may be highly volatile and subject to wide fluctuations in response to factors including the following:

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actual or anticipated fluctuations in our quarterly results of operations and changes or revisions of our expected results;

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announcements of new services by us or our competitors;

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changes in financial estimates or recommendations by securities analysts;

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conditions in the internet industry in China;

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changes in the performance or market valuations of other companies that provide hosting and managed network services;

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fluctuations of exchange rates between the Renminbi and the U.S. dollar or other foreign currencies;

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announcements by us or our competitors of significant acquisitions, strategic partnerships, joint ventures or capital commitments;

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detrimental negative publicity about us, our competitors or our industry;

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additions or departures of executive officers;

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sales or perceived potential sales of additional ordinary shares or ADSs;

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litigation or administrative investigations; and

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general economic or political conditions in China.

Our dual-class voting structure will limit your ability to influence corporate matters and could discourage others from pursuing any change of control transactions that holders of our Class A ordinary shares and ADSs may view as beneficial.

We have a dual-class voting structure such that our ordinary shares consist of Class A ordinary shares and Class B ordinary shares. In respect of matters requiring the votes of shareholders, holders of Class A ordinary shares are entitled to one vote per share, while holders of Class B ordinary shares are entitled to ten votes per share. Each Class B ordinary share is convertible into one Class A ordinary share at any time by the holder thereof, while Class A ordinary shares are not convertible into Class B ordinary shares or preferred shares under any circumstances. Upon any transfer of Class B ordinary shares by a holder thereof to any person or entity which is not an affiliate of such holder, such Class B ordinary shares shall be automatically and immediately converted into the equal number of Class A ordinary shares. Due to the disparate voting powers attached to these two classes, holders of our Class B ordinary shares have significant voting power over matters requiring shareholder approval. This concentrated control will limit your ability to influence corporate matters and could discourage others from pursuing any potential merger, takeover or other change of control transactions that holders of Class A ordinary shares and ADSs may view as beneficial.

Future sales of a substantial number of our ADSs in the public market, or the perception that these sales could occur, could cause the price of our ADSs to decline.

In the future, we may sell additional ADSs to raise capital, and our existing shareholders could sell substantial amounts of ADSs, including those issued upon the exercise of outstanding options, in the public market. We cannot predict the size of any future issuance of ADSs or the effect that future sales of our ADSs would have on the market price of our ADSs. Any future sales of a substantial number of our ADSs in the public market, or the perception that these sales could occur, could cause the trading price of our ADSs to decline and impair our ability to raise capital through the sale of additional equity securities.

You may not have the same voting rights as the holders of our ordinary shares and may not receive voting materials in time to be able to exercise your right to vote.

Except as described in this annual report and in the deposit agreement, holders of our ADSs are not be able to exercise voting rights attaching to the Class A ordinary shares evidenced by our ADSs on an individual basis. Holders of our ADSs will appoint the depositary or its nominee as their representative to exercise the voting rights attaching to the Class A ordinary shares represented by the ADSs. Otherwise, you will not be able to exercise your right to vote unless you withdraw the Class A ordinary shares represented by the ADSs. However, you may not know of the meeting sufficiently in advance to withdraw the ordinary shares. If we ask for instructions from ADS holders, the depositary will notify you of the upcoming vote and arrange to deliver our voting materials to you. We cannot assure you that you will receive voting materials in time to instruct the depositary to vote, and it is possible that you, including persons who hold their ADSs through brokers, dealers or other third parties, will not have the opportunity to exercise a right to vote. The deposit agreement provides that if the depositary does not timely receive valid voting instructions from the ADS holders, then the depositary will, with certain limited exceptions, give a discretionary proxy to a person designated by us to vote such shares.

We are exempt from certain corporate governance requirements of NASDAQ and we intend to rely on certain exemptions.

Certain corporate governance practices in the Cayman Islands, which is our home country, are considerably different than the standards applied to U.S. domestic issuers. NASDAQ Marketplace Rules provide that foreign

private issuers are exempt from certain corporate governance requirements of NASDAQ and may follow their home country practices, subject to certain exceptions and requirements to the extent that such exemptions would be contrary to U.S. federal securities laws and regulations. We currently follow our home country practice that does not require us to solicit proxy and hold meetings of our shareholders every year, as well as seeking shareholders’ approval for amending our share incentive plan. In the future, we may rely on other exemptions provided by NASDAQ, including the exemption that does not require us to obtain shareholder approval for issuing additional securities exceeding 20% of our outstanding ordinary shares. As a result, our investors may not be provided with the benefits of certain corporate governance requirements of NASDAQ.

We may be classified as a passive foreign investment company for United States federal income tax purposes, which could result in adverse U.S. federal income tax consequences to U.S. holders of our ADSs or Class A ordinary shares.

Based on the market price of our ADSs and Class A ordinary shares, the value of our assets, and the composition of our assets and income, we do not believe that we were a passive foreign investment company (a “PFIC”) for United States federal income tax purposes for our taxable year ended December 31, 2012. Nevertheless, the application of the PFIC rules is subject to ambiguity in several respects and, in addition, we must make a separate determination each year as to whether we are a PFIC (after the close of each taxable year). Accordingly, we cannot assure you that we will not be a PFIC for our current taxable year or for any other taxable year.

A non-U.S. corporation, such as our company, will be considered as a PFIC for United States federal income tax purposes for any taxable year if either (i) 75% or more of its gross income for such year consists of certain types of “passive” income or (ii) 50% or more of the value of its assets (determined on the basis of a quarterly average) during such year produce or are held for the production of passive income, or the asset test. While we do not anticipate being a PFIC, changes in the nature of our income or assets or the value of our assets may cause us to become a PFIC for the current or any subsequent taxable year. Under circumstances where revenues from activities that produce passive income significantly increase relative to our revenues from activities that produce non-passive income or where we determine not to deploy significant amounts of cash for active purposes, our risk of becoming classified as a PFIC may substantially increase.

Although the law in this regard is not entirely clear, we treat 21Vianet Technology as being owned by us for United States federal income tax purposes, because we control its management decisions and we are entitled to substantially all of its economic benefits, as a result, we consolidate its results of operations in our consolidated U.S. GAAP financial statements. If it were determined, however, that we are not the owner of 21Vianet Technology for United States federal income tax purposes, we would likely be treated as a PFIC for the taxable year ended December 31, 2012 and for subsequent taxable years.

If we were to be or become a PFIC, a U.S. Holder (as defined in “Item 10.E. Additional Information— Taxation—Certain United States Federal Income Tax Considerations—General”) may incur significantly increased United States income tax on gain recognized on the sale or other disposition of the ADSs or Class A ordinary shares and on the receipt of distributions on the ADSs or Class A ordinary shares to the extent such gain or distribution is treated as an “excess distribution” under the United States federal income tax rules. For more information, see “Item 10.E. Additional Information—Taxation—Certain United States Federal Income Tax Considerations—Passive Foreign Investment Company Considerations.”

You may not be able to participate in rights offerings, may experience dilution of your holdings and you may not receive certain distributions on Class A ordinary shares if it is impractical to make them available to you.

We may from time to time distribute rights to our shareholders, including rights to acquire our securities. Under the deposit agreement for the ADSs, the depositary will not offer those rights to ADS holders unless both the rights and the underlying securities to be distributed to ADS holders are either registered under the

Securities Act or exempt from registration under the Securities Act with respect to all holders of ADSs. We are under no obligation to file a registration statement with respect to any such rights or underlying securities or to endeavor to cause such a registration statement to be declared effective. In addition, we may not be able to take advantage of any exemptions from registration under the Securities Act. Accordingly, holders of our ADSs may be unable to participate in our rights offerings and may experience dilution in their holdings as a result.

In addition, the depositary of our ADSs has agreed to pay to you the cash dividends or other distributions it or the custodian receives on our ordinary shares or other deposited securities after deducting its fees and expenses. You will receive these distributions in proportion to the number of Class A ordinary shares your ADSs represent. However, the depositary may, at its discretion, decide that it is unlawful or impractical to make a distribution available to any holders of ADSs. For example, the depositary may determine that it is not practicable to distribute certain property through the mail, or that the value of certain distributions may be less than the cost of mailing them. In these cases, the depositary may decide not to distribute such property and you will not receive such distribution.

You may be subject to limitations on transfer of your ADSs.

Your ADSs represented by the ADRs are transferable on the books of the depositary. However, the depositary may close its transfer books at any time or from time to time when it deems expedient in connection with the performance of its duties. In addition, the depositary may refuse to deliver, transfer or register transfers of ADSs generally when our books or the books of the depositary are closed, or at any time if we or the depositary deem it advisable to do so because of any requirement of law or of any government or governmental body, or under any provision of the deposit agreement, or for any other reason.

You may face difficulties in protecting your interests, and your ability to protect your rights through the U.S. federal courts may be limited, because we are incorporated under Cayman Islands law, conduct all of our operations in China and a majority of our officers and directors reside outside the United States.

We are incorporated in the Cayman Islands and substantially all of our assets are located outside of the United States. We conduct all of our operations in China through our wholly-owned subsidiary in China. The majority of our officers and directors reside outside the United States and a substantial portion of the assets of those persons are located outside of the United States. As a result, it may be difficult for you to bring an action against us or against these individuals in the Cayman Islands or in China in the event that you believe that your rights have been infringed under the securities laws or otherwise. Even if you are successful in bringing an action of this kind, the laws of the Cayman Islands and of China may render you unable to enforce a judgment against our assets or the assets of our directors and officers. In addition, there is uncertainty as to whether the courts of the Cayman Islands or the PRC would recognize or enforce judgments of U.S. courts against us or our directors and officers predicated upon the civil liability provisions of the securities laws of the United States or any state, and it is uncertain whether such Cayman Islands or PRC courts would be competent to hear original actions brought in the Cayman Islands or the PRC against us or our directors and officers predicated upon the securities laws of the United States or any state, on the ground that such provisions are penal in nature.

Our corporate affairs are governed by our memorandum and articles of association and by the Companies Law (as amended) and common law of the Cayman Islands. The rights of shareholders to take legal action against our directors and us, actions by minority shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors to us under Cayman Islands law are to a large extent governed by the common law of the Cayman Islands. The common law of the Cayman Islands is derived in part from comparatively limited judicial precedent in the Cayman Islands as well as from English common law, which has persuasive, but not binding, authority on a court in the Cayman Islands. The rights of our shareholders and the fiduciary responsibilities of our directors under Cayman Islands law are not as clearly established as they would be under statutes or judicial precedents in the United States. In particular, the Cayman Islands has a less developed body of securities laws as compared to the United States, and provides significantly less protection to investors. In addition, Cayman Islands companies may not have standing to initiate a shareholder derivative action before the federal courts of the United States.

As a result of all of the above, our public shareholders may have more difficulty in protecting their interests through actions against our management, directors or major shareholders than they would as shareholders of a public company of the United States.

Our memorandum and articles of association contain anti-takeover provisions that could adversely affect the rights of holders of our ordinary shares and ADSs.

Our memorandum and articles of association contain certain provisions that could limit the ability of others to acquire control of our company, including our dual-class voting structure a provision that grants authority to our board of directors to establish from time to time one or more series of preferred shares without action by our shareholders and to determine, with respect to any series of preferred shares, the terms and rights of that series. The provisions could have the effect of depriving our shareholders of the opportunity to sell their shares at a premium over the prevailing market price by discouraging third parties from seeking to obtain control of our company in a tender offer or similar transactions.

We have incurred increased costs as a result of being a public company.

As a public company, we have incurred significant accounting, legal and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act, as well as new rules subsequently implemented by the SEC and the NASDAQ Global Market, have detailed requirements concerning corporate governance practices of public companies including Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act relating to internal controls over financial reporting. These new rules and regulations have increased our director and officer liability insurance, accounting, legal and financial reporting compliance costs and have made certain corporate activities more time-consuming and costly. Therefore, we have incurred additional costs associated with our public company reporting requirements, and we cannot predict or estimate the amount of additional costs we may further incur or the timing of such costs.

If securities or industry analysts do not actively follow our business, or if they publish unfavorable research about our business, our ADS price and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for our ADS depends in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business. If one or more of the analysts who covers us downgrades our ADSs or publishes unfavorable research about our business, our ADS price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts ceases coverage of our company or fails to publish reports on us regularly, demand for our ADSs could decrease, which could cause our ADS price and trading volume to decline.

ITEM 4.

INFORMATION ON THE COMPANY

A. History and Development of the Company

We commenced our operations in 1999, and through a series of corporate restructurings, set up a holding company, AsiaCloud Inc., or AsiaCloud, in October 2009 under the laws of the Cayman Islands. AsiaCloud was formerly a wholly-owned subsidiary of aBitCool Inc., or aBitCool, a company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. In October 2010, AsiaCloud effected a restructuring whereby AsiaCloud repurchased all its outstanding shares held by aBitCool and issued ordinary shares and preferred shares to the same shareholders of aBitCool. In connection with the restructuring, AsiaCloud subsequently changed its name to 21Vianet Group, Inc.

To focus on our core data center services, we disposed of Shanghai Guotong Network Co., Ltd., and Guangzhou Juliang internet Information Technology Co., Ltd. to the nominee shareholders of aBitCool on April 30, 2009 and March 1, 2010, respectively.

Due to certain restrictions under the PRC laws on foreign ownership of entities engaged in data center and telecommunications value-added services, we conduct our operations in China through contractual arrangements among 21Vianet China, 21Vianet Technology and the shareholders of 21Vianet Technology. As a result of these contractual arrangements, we control 21Vianet Technology and have consolidated the financial information of 21Vianet Technology and its subsidiaries in our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP. We own 100% of the equity interests of 21Vianet China through our subsidiary, 21Vianet HK, which was incorporated in Hong Kong in May 2007.

On April 21, 2011, our ADSs began trading on the NASDAQ Global Market under the ticker symbol “VNET.” We issued and sold a total of 14,950,000 ADSs, representing 89,700,000 Class A ordinary shares, at an initial offering price of US$15.00 per ADS.

In October 2011, we acquired 100% equity interests in Gehua as part of our business expansion strategy to expand our managed network services for an initial payment of RMB14.8 million subject to performance-based cash and share consideration. Gehua currently provides managed network services.

In February 2012, we won a bid for radio spectrum in the 2.3 GHz band to provide broadband wireless access services in Hong Kong for a bidding price of HK$150 million in cash.

In July 2012, we acquired 21V Xi’an for a cash consideration of RMB16.0 million to gain additional cabinets and data center space.

In September 2012, we acquired Fastweb, an internet content delivery network services provider in China, for a cash consideration of RMB116.0 million to expand our content delivery network and cloud technology capabilities.

In September 2012, we entered into a purchase agreement to acquire the 100% equity interests in iJoy with a purchase consideration of US$22 million in order to expand our CDN services. The acquisition of iJoy has not been closed as of the date of this annual report.

In February 2013, we acquired 100% equity interests in Beijing Tianwang and Beijing Yilong Xinda, which principally provide virtual private network services and managed network services.

Our principal executive offices are located at M5, 1 Jiuxianqiao East Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, 100016, the People’s Republic of China. Our telephone number at this address is +8610 8456 2121. Our registered office in the Cayman Islands is located at the offices of Maples Corporate Services Limited, PO Box 309, Ugland House, Grand Cayman, KY1-1104, Cayman Islands. Our agent for service of process in the U.S. is Law Debenture Corporate Services Inc., located at 400 Madison Avenue, 4th Floor, New York, New York 10017.

See Item 4.C, “Organizational Structure” for a diagram illustrating our corporate structure as of the dated of this annual report.

B. Business Overview

Overview

data across the internet in a faster and more reliable manner through our extensive data transmission network and our proprietary smart routing technology. We believe that the scale of our data center and networking assets positions us well to capture opportunities and become a leader in the rapidly emerging market for cloud computing infrastructure services in China.

Our infrastructure consists of our high-quality data centers and an extensive data transmission network. We operate 10 self-built data centers and 71 partnered data centers located in 42 cities throughout China, including all of China’s major internet hubs with over 11,900 cabinets under management that house over 67,000 servers as of December 31, 2012. Our data transmission network includes over 450 points of presence, or POPs, which are access points from one place to the rest of the internet. Most of our data centers and all of our POPs are connected by our private optical fibers network across China.

As a carrier-neutral internet infrastructure services provider, our infrastructure is interconnected with the networks operated by all China’s telecommunications carriers, major non-carriers and local internet service providers. The interconnectivity enables each of our data centers to function as a network access point for our customer’s data traffic. In addition, we believe that our proprietary smart routing technology allows us to automatically select an optimized route to direct our customers’ data traffic to ensure fast and reliable data transmission. We believe this advanced interconnectivity within and beyond our network distinguishes ourselves from our competitors and provides an effective solution to address our customers’ needs that arise from inadequate public internet infrastructure and network interconnectivity in China. As a result, businesses are increasingly relying upon internet infrastructure services providers and in particular, carrier-neutral internet infrastructure services providers, to enhance and optimize key elements of their IT and network infrastructure.

We serve a diversified and loyal base of customers, ranging from internet companies to government entities, from blue-chip enterprises and small- to mid-sized enterprises, and spanning many different industries. As of December 31, 2012, we had 1,972 customers, including many leading Chinese and global companies operating in China. Our average monthly churn rate as measured by monthly recurring revenues was approximately 0.9% in 2012. Our monthly recurring revenue from our top 20 customers in 2012 has increased from RMB39.4 million in December 2011 to RMB42.6 million (US$6.8 million) in December 2012.

We generate revenues from providing hosting and related services and managed network services. Our net revenues increased from RMB525.2 million in 2010 to RMB1.0 billion in 2011 and to RMB1.5 billion (US$244.6 million) in 2012, representing a CAGR of 70.4% from 2010 to 2012. The total number of cabinets under our management increased from 5,750 as of December 31, 2010 to 7,816 as of December 31, 2011 and to 11,917 as of December 31, 2012. Our average monthly recurring revenues increased from RMB41.9 million in 2010 to RMB125.2 million (US$20.0 million) in 2012. Our net loss from continuing operations in 2010 was RMB234.7 million, which reflected share-based compensation expenses of RMB277.9 million. We recorded a net profit from continuing operations of RMB45.9 million in 2011, which reflected share-based compensation expenses of RMB42.0 million. Our net profit was RMB57.7 million (US$9.3 million) in 2012, which reflected share-based compensation expenses of RMB67.6 million (US$10.9 million). Our results of operations also reflect the effects of our acquisitions during the respective periods.

Our Service Offerings

We primarily generate revenues from providing hosting and related services and managed network services. We provide hosting and related services to house servers and networking equipment in our data centers and connect them through our data transmission network, and offer other hosting related value-added services. Our managed network services allow our customers to transmit data across the internet in a faster and more reliable manner through our smart routing optimization technology through our hosting area network and data transmission network. We also provide, as part of our hosting and related services business, cloud infrastructure services and content delivery network services.

Hosting and Related Services

Our hosting and related services including the following:

•

Managed Hosting Services that dedicate data center space to house our customers’ servers and networking equipment and provide tailored server administration services;

•

Interconnectivity Services that allow customers to connect their servers with internet backbones in China and other networks through our Border Gateway Protocol, or BGP, network, or our single-line, dual-line or multiple-line networks;

•

CDN Services, or content delivery network services;

•

Cloud Infrastructure Services, also known as infrastructure as a service; and

•

Value-Added Services, including firewall services, server load balancing, data backup and recovery, data center management, server management, and backup server services.

Our data centers host the servers of our customers and meet their needs to deploy computing, network, storage and IT infrastructure. Our hosting and related services are scalable, allowing our customers to purchase space and upgrade connectivity and services as their requirements evolve. In addition, our customers benefit from our data centers’ wide range of physical security features, including sensitive smoke detection systems, fire suppression systems, secured access, around-the-clock video camera surveillance and security breach alarms. Our data centers are fully-redundant and feature resilient power supplies, energy efficient design, connection with multiple network providers and 24/7 on-site support provided by our skilled engineers. As a result, we are able to guarantee 99.99% uptime for power in our service level agreements.

We believe another main reason customers choose our services is our access to multiple carriers and service providers and the availability of multiple-provider bandwidth. By securing multiple suppliers for connectivity and using redundant hardware, we are able to guarantee 99.9% internet connectivity uptime.

Managed Hosting Services

Our managed hosting services allow customers to lease partial or entire cabinet for their servers. Our customers have full control over their server(s) housed in our data centers. Depending on customer needs, we provide different levels of tailored server administration services, including operating system support and assistance with updates, server monitoring, server backup and restoration, server security evaluation, firewall services, and disaster recovery. Our customers’ servers are housed in our data centers providing redundant power sources and heating, ventilating and air conditioning systems. Managed hosting service relieves customers from the daily pressures of IT infrastructure maintenance so that they can focus on their core businesses.

Customers have the option to either place their servers and equipment in standard cabinets dedicated for their private use, or in cabinets shared with other customers. They can customize their cabinet space for their servers, network connections and equipment. Customers can elect to buy the hardware that they place within their cabinets from their chosen suppliers. In addition, customers can also lease power-based space, sometimes in a cage, where they can place their own cabinets in our data centers.

Interconnectivity Services

Our interconnectivity services connect our data centers with China’s internet backbones and other networks in the following ways:

•

Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) Network Services. We provide network services that use BGP routing policies. BGP exchanges routing information for the internet and is the protocol used between ISPs, backing the core routing decisions on the internet. Customers connect to ISPs, and ISPs use BGP to

exchange customer and ISP routes, bypassing major internet hubs. This allows the internet to become a decentralized system, thereby reduces traffic congestion and data transmission time. BGP network is generally considered a premium network service due to its improved internet connectivity and data reachability.

•

Single-Line and Dual-Line Network Services. China Telecom and China Unicom are the two major telecommunication carriers in China. Some customers may choose to connect their servers only to one carrier while others choose to connect their servers to both China Telecom and China Unicom. Dual-line network provides more stable internet access and ensures better business continuity because when one line is down or interrupted, the other line can still provide internet connectivity.

•

Multiple-Line Network Services. As a carrier-neutral service provider, our data centers are connected to all carrier and non-carrier networks in China, namely, China Telecom, China Unicom, China Mobile, China Education Network, China Satcom, China Railcom (Tietong) and China Science and Technology Network.

Content Delivery Network Services

We also offer content delivery network services, or CDN services, primarily through Fastweb, a business we acquired in 2012. Our CDN product portfolio provides customers with a cost-effective solution to their data connection needs in China, improving the reliability, scalability, security and speed of their internet services.

Cloud Infrastructure Services

Our cloud infrastructure services allow businesses to run their applications over the internet using our IT infrastructure rather than having the infrastructure on their own premises. Instead of purchasing data center spaces, network equipment, servers and other computing equipment, customers can purchase a portion of the pooled computing resources, load applications onto virtual servers, and pay on an on-demand basis. We own the computing equipment and are responsible for housing, running and maintaining it.

Value-Added Services

To complement our hosting services and enhance our customers’ experiences, we also provide value-added services, including firewall services, server load balancing, data backup and recovery, data center management, server management, and backup server services.

•

Firewall Services. Customers can lease our hardware firewalls, which can be configured according to their specific requirements. Hardware firewalls protect servers from outside attacks and other unlawful invasions. We notify our customers promptly once we find out that their servers are under attack or subject to invasion.

•

Server Load Balancing Services. When websites experience significant traffic increases, servers may not be able to respond timely to visiting requests. Our server load balancing services are designed to address this issue by providing load balancing facilities to share the increased traffic and therefore moderate the burden on main servers of our customers.

•

Data Backup and Recovery Services. We provide data backup services to our customers to recover any lost or damaged data.

•

Server Management Services. Our server management services allow customers to engage the services of our data center staff to handle problems that occur to their servers. At the customers’ request, our staff can fix operating system issues, perform emergency equipment replacement and other tasks related to the servers housed in our data centers. These services help customers minimize network outages and improve response and repair times.

In addition to our interconnectivity services, we also provide customers with traffic charts and analysis, gateway monitoring for servers, domain name system setup, defense mechanism against distributed denial of

service (DDOS) attacks, basic setting of switches and routers, and virus protections. DDOS attack is an attempt to make a computer’s resource unavailable to its intended users. We generally charge fees for our various types of interconnectivity services at the end of each month based on the customers’ bandwidth usage.

Managed Network Services

Our managed network services are primarily offered in the form of bandwidth, which is optimized through our proprietary smart routing platform and supplemented by our hosting area network and our data transmission network. In September 2010, we acquired 51% equity interest in the Managed Network Entities to expand our managed network services business and we acquired the remaining 49% equity interest in December 2011. In October 2011, we acquired 100% equity interests in Gehua also to expand our managed network services business.

Our managed network services primarily consist of the following:

•

Hosting Area Network Services. Our data centers are distributed throughout China. We connect most of our data centers with private optical fibers, forming our hosting area network. Our hosting area network connects the servers housed in our data centers so that data transmission among our customers can be achieved without going through telecommunication backbones or internet hubs, enabling secure, faster and more reliable data transmission.

•

Route Optimization. In China, carriers generally operate their independent systems, and their networks are not connected with each other. Because we are connected to all major carriers, customers that use services from one carrier can reach users of other carriers through our network or through other internet hubs. Our proprietary system is a smart routing platform, which functions like an intelligent switchboard automatically selecting the best and fastest routes and directing traffic through our own or others’ networks. For example, from our data centers, we can direct data to the networks of China Telecom or China Unicom, or, when the networks of China Telecom and China Unicom are congested or otherwise experiencing problems, to our own transmission networks. Through our proprietary smart routing technology, we are able to optimize the connectivity of our network and deliver data in a fast and efficient manner.

Our Infrastructure

Our infrastructure, which consists of our data centers and data transmission network, is the foundation upon which we provide services to our customers. As of December 31, 2012, we operate 10 self-built data centers and 71 partnered data centers located in 42 cities throughout China, including all of China’s major internet hubs, with over 11,900 cabinets under management that house over 67,000 servers. In addition, we also offer container-based data center service. Our extensive network, consisting of private optical fibers and more than 450 POPs, is a “high-speed internet railway” that connects our data centers with each other links them to China’s telecommunication backbones.

Our Data Centers

We operate two types of data centers: self-built and partnered. We defined “self-built” data centers as those with our owned cabinets and data center equipment housed in buildings leased from third parties. We define “partnered” data centers as the data center space and cabinets we leased from China Telecom or China Unicom through agreements. As of December 31, 2012, we operate 10 self-built data centers housing 7,404 cabinets and 71 partnered data centers housing 4,513 cabinets.

The table below sets forth the number of data centers and cabinets under our management and the number of servers housed in our data centers as of December 31, 2010, 2011 and 2012.


	As of December 31,
	2010		2011		2012
Data Centers		47		63		81
Cabinets
Self-built		2,645		4,055		7,404
Partnered		3,105		3,761		4,513

Total		5,750		7,816		11,917

Servers		39,917		55,131		67,067

Our data centers are located in 42 cities in China as of the data of this report. Our nationwide network of data centers not only enables us to serve customers in extended geographic areas, but also establishes a national data transmission network that sets up connections among carriers and service providers in various locations.

We build and operate our data centers in compliance with high industry standards in order to provide our customers with secure and reliable environments that are necessary for optimal internet interconnectivity. Our data centers generally feature:

•

Resilient Power—Redundant, high-capacity and stable power supplies, backed by uninterruptible power supply, or UPS, and diesel generators;

•

Physical Security—Round-the-clock monitoring by on-site personnel, which includes verification of all persons entering the building, security barriers, video camera surveillance and security breach alarms;

•

Controlled Access—Access to the buildings, data floors and individual areas designated for particular customers via individually-programmed access cards and visual identification;

•

Fire Detection and Suppression—Sensitive smoke detectors linked to building management systems provide early detection to help avoid fire, loss and business disruption. These are complemented by an environmentally-friendly gas-based or water mist fire suppression system to put out fires;

•

Air Conditioning—To ensure optimal performance and avoid equipment failure, all data center floors are managed to make sure that customers’ equipment is maintained at a controlled temperature and humidity;

•

24/7 Support—We staff our data centers with capable and experienced service teams and we believe we were the first data center service provider in China to offer 24/7 customer service.

These features minimize chances of interruption to the servers housed in our data centers and ensure the business continuity of our customers. In addition, we believe we were the first data center service provider in China to receive both the ISO 9002 quality system certification by the American Registrar Accreditation Board and a certification by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service.

Container Data Centers. In addition to conventional data centers, we also offer container-based data center services. One of the advantages of a container-based design is that the data center can easily be moved to other locations or facilities as the containers only require hookups for electricity, chilled water and network connectivity. Our containers are pre-populated with servers and support equipment, eliminating the need to unpack and install servers when the data centers move to a different location. Our container-based data center also features energy-efficient designs and has the potential to house 48 cabinets, or 1,116 servers. We plan to build and deploy more container-based data centers in the next few years.

Our Network

Our network transmits data and directs internet traffic mostly through private optical fibers, forming an internet highway system that is linked to the networks of major carriers, non-carriers and ISPs and enhances

communications among our data centers, our customers and end users located throughout China and around the world. Our data centers are connected by our private optical fibers that include redundant connections with an estimated capacity of 1,135 gigabits per second to nearly all locations. As of December 31, 2012, our network connects more than 450 POPs throughout China with private optical fibers.

The table below sets forth the number of our POPs and our network service capacity as of the periods ended December 31, 2010, 2011 and 2012.


	As of and for the year ended December 31,
	2010		2011		2012
Number of POPs		267		340		458
Estimated Network Service Capacity*		295		518		1,135

*	By gigabits

Our network also features numerous interfaces with all seven telecommunication carriers in China, which are China Telecom, China Unicom, China Mobile, China Education Network, China Satcom, China Railcom (Tietong) and China Science and Technology Network. Our network is not only connected to the headquarters of each carrier, but also with their local networks throughout China.

Due to our high-quality data center infrastructure, extensive data transmission network and proprietary smart routing technologies, we are able to deliver high-performance hosting and managed network services that can effectively meet our customers’ business needs, improve interconnectivity among service providers and end users, and effectively address the issue of inadequate network interconnectivity in China.

Customers and Customer Support

Our Customers

We serve a diversified and loyal base of customers, ranging from internet companies to government entities, from blue-chip enterprises and small- to mid-sized enterprises, and spanning many different industries. As of December 31, 2012, we had 1,972 customers, including many leading Chinese and global companies operating in China. Given the breadth of our customer base, the largest single customer accounted for less than 5% of our total net revenues in any of the past three years. Revenue from our top five customers accounted for less than 14.5% of our total net revenues in 2012.

Among our 1,972 customers as of December 31, 2012, 30 are local subsidiaries of a telecommunication carrier in China. Because we negotiate with, maintain and support each of these entities as a separate customer due to the fact that each of them has the separate decision-making authority and services procurement budget, we count each of them as a separate customer. None of these customers on a stand-alone basis contributed more than 4% of our revenues in any given year but in the aggregate, they contributed 32%, 28% and 22% of our total revenues, respectively, in 2010, 2011 and 2012.

We have a loyal customer base, as evidenced by our low churn rate. Our average monthly churn rate as measured by monthly recurring revenues was 0.9%, 0.8% and 0.9% in 2010, 2011 and 2012. Our monthly recurring revenue from our top 20 customers in 2012 has increased from RMB39.4 million in December 2011 to RMB42.6 million (US$6.8 million) in December 2012.

Our experience in serving market leaders in various sectors also provides us with industry knowledge, operational expertise and credibility that we can leverage in cross-selling additional services to our existing and potential customers.

The following table sets forth some of the industries we serve and the leading customers in each industry identified below in terms of the monthly recurring revenue derived from each customer in 2012.

Search
Engine/Portal

Rich Media

eCommerce

Social Networking

Online Gaming

Enterprises

Mobile internet

Baidu

Youku

Taobao

Qunar

KDDI

UCWeb

Tencent

Ku6

Lashou

Renren

4399

Dubon

Beijie

ChinaHR

Vodone

Vancl

Jiayuan

70yx

CITICS

SKY-MOBI

Yicha

CCTV

Newegg

Tiancity

T-System

Hurray!

Our Customer Support

We devote significant resources to provide customers support and services through our dedicated customer service team. We offer service level agreements on most of our services to our customers. Such agreements set the expectations on service level between our customers and us and drive our internal process to meet or exceed the customer’s expectations. We believe we were the first data center service provider in China to offer 24/7 customer services. Our network operation center is staffed with skilled engineers trained in network diagnostics and engineering. We require our staff to respond to calls or request from customers within 15 minutes. For major customers, we have a dedicated team to offer specialized services tailored to their specific needs. Areas of customer support include design and improvement of our customers’ IT infrastructure and network optimization.

Our customers may directly contact the customer service team to seek assistance or inquire about the status of a reported incident. The team actively follows up with our operations team to ensure that the problems are addressed in an effective and timely manner. Each of our customers is assigned a service manager who is responsible for ensuring that all our services are performed in a satisfactory manner.

Research and Development

Our strong research and development capabilities support and enhance our service offerings. We have an experienced research and development team and devote significant resources to our research and development efforts, focusing on improving customer experience, increasing operational efficiency and bringing innovative solutions to the market quickly.

Consistent with our strong innovation culture, we devote significant resources to the research and development of our container-based data centers, our smart routing technology and other innovations. We plan to continue strengthening our research and development in cloud computing infrastructure service technologies. Our research and development efforts have yielded 37 patents, 34 patent applications and 48 software copyright registrations, all in China and related to different aspects of data center services. We intend to continue to devote a significant amount of time and resources to carry out our research and development efforts.

Technology and Intellectual Property

We use our proprietary smart routing technology to optimize network connectivity and overcome the inherent inadequacies in China’s telecommunication and internet infrastructure. Our smart routing technology continually monitors and analyzes the performance of all available routes and identifies the most appropriate pathway in real-time. In planning for and finding the optimized routing plan, our smart routing technology takes into consideration speed (latency), performance, route stability and pocket losses and dynamically responds with intelligent route adjustments in order to ensure that data is traveling along the fastest and most reliable route.

internal and external controls, including physical and electronic security, contractual protections, and intellectual property law. We have implemented a strict security and information technology management system, including the prohibition of copying and transferring of codes. We educate our staff on the need to, and require them to, comply with such security procedures. We also promote protection through contractual prohibitions, such as requiring our employees to enter into confidentiality and non-compete agreements.

Sales and Marketing

We actively market our portfolio of services and solutions through our direct sales force. Our sales and marketing team is primarily based in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Xi’an and Hangzhou. We also have dedicated teams for our key customers and provide them service offerings specially tailored to their needs. We up-sell and cross-sell our broad portfolio of services and solutions to our existing customer base. In addition, in an effort to better anticipate and respond to our customers’ needs, we require and foster the collaboration between our sales team and research and development team to develop additional services and solutions that meet the customers’ needs.

Our strong brand recognition has been an important driving force for our sales. To strengthen our brand, we focus our marketing efforts on sponsoring seminars, conferences and special events to raise our profile with potential customers. Additionally, we collaborate with equipment suppliers, software developers, internet solution providers and other companies to market our services. We have a special marketing team responsible for generating demand for our services and solutions and work with our other teams to secure new customers.

Competition

We face competition from a wide range of data center service providers, including:

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Carriers. We face competition from state-owned telecommunication carriers, including China Telecom and China Unicom. According to IDC, carriers occupied 59.2% of the data center services market in 2011. In addition, both carriers operate their own networks. Competition is primarily focused on pricing, quality of services and geographic coverage. We believe we are well-positioned to compete with major carriers. Unlike China Telecom and China Unicom, which construct data centers primarily to help sell bandwidth, we provide connectivity to multiple networks in each of our carrier-neutral data centers, providing superior choice and performance. Our private network provides enhanced connectivity among different networks. In comparison, data centers operated by China Telecom and China Unicom generally provide access only to their own network and are often constrained by their networks’ coverage. Due to inadequate interconnectivity among China’s carriers’ networks, interconnectivity bottlenecks remain a major problem in China, contributing to slow transmission speeds across services and applications.

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Carrier-neutral service providers. We face competition from other carrier-neutral service providers, such as ChinaNetCenter. Competition is primarily focused on pricing and the quality and breadth of service offerings. We distinguish ourselves by our superior interconnectivity, extensive data transmission network, large number of high-quality data centers, and superior operations, maintenance and other customer services.

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In-house data centers. Businesses may choose to house and maintain their own IT hardware, such as Baidu and Alibaba, and other large enterprises, particularly in the financial services sector. Due to their in-house capabilities, these customers may outsource fewer services to other third-party data center services providers including us, if at all. However, we believe our data centers, coupled with our superior network services, offer a unique combination of hosting services that would make us attractive to businesses with in-house data centers.

In addition, some companies may prefer to locate their core data centers in Hong Kong or other areas outside of the PRC partly due to fear of the PRC governmental control over the internet. We do not currently

compete with data center service providers located in Hong Kong and overseas, but we may compete with them if we expand our service offerings beyond China. We believe that there are currently no foreign competitors with a significant presence in the data center services market in China, partly due to the regulatory barriers in China’s telecommunications sector. As China represents a potentially lucrative market for foreign competitors, some foreign providers may seek to enter the Chinese market. We believe we have accumulated a deep understanding of the requirements of China’s data center market through our extensive operational experience and have developed a comprehensive suite of services and solutions tailored to the unique characteristics of the internet market in China. As we expand our service offerings, such as cloud infrastructure services, we expect to face more competitions in those areas as well.

Regulations

This section sets forth a summary of the most significant regulations or requirements that affect our business activities in China or our shareholders’ rights to receive dividends and other distributions from us.

As the internet and telecommunication industry is still at a relatively early stage of development in China, new laws and regulations may be adopted from time to time that will require us to obtain additional licenses and permits in addition to those that we currently have, and to address new issues that arise from time to time. As a result, substantial uncertainties exist regarding the interpretation and implementation of current and future Chinese laws and regulations applicable to the data center services industry. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China.”

Regulations on Value-Added Telecommunications Business and Data Center Services

Among all of the applicable laws and regulations, the Telecommunications Regulations of the People’s Republic of China, or the Telecom Regulations, implemented on September 25, 2000, is the primary governing law, and sets out the general framework for the provision of telecommunication services by domestic PRC companies. Under the Telecom Regulations, telecommunications service providers are required to procure operating licenses prior to their commencement of operations. The Telecom Regulations distinguish “basic telecommunications services” from “value-added telecommunications services.” Value-added telecommunications services are defined as telecommunications and information services provided through public networks. A “Catalog of Telecommunications Business” or the Catalog, was issued as an attachment to the Telecom Regulations to categorize telecommunications services as either basic or value-added. In February 2003, the Catalog was updated, categorizing online data and transaction processing, on-demand voice and image communications, domestic internet virtual private networks, data centers, message storage and forwarding (including voice mailbox, e-mail and online fax services), call centers, internet access, and online information and data search as value-added telecommunications services.

Pursuant to the Telecom Regulations value-added telecommunications services covering two or more provinces, autonomous regions, and/or municipalities directly administered by the central government shall be approved by the MIIT, and the providers of such cross-regional value-added telecommunications services are required to obtain the Cross-Regional Value-Added Telecommunications Business Operating Licenses, or the Cross-Regional VAT licenses. Value-added telecommunications services covering certain area within one province, autonomous region, and/or municipality directly administered by the central government shall be approved by the local telecommunications administration authority of such region and the providers of such value-added telecommunications services are required to obtain the VAT licenses. Pursuant to the Administrative Measures for Telecommunications Business Operating Licenses (effective on April 10, 2009, promulgated by the MIIT), Cross-Regional VAT licenses shall be approved and issued by the MIIT with five-year terms.

Currently, Langfang Xunchi holds a Value Added Technology License issued by Hebei Province Communications Administration on April 10, 2012 with a term effective until April 10, 2017. It is permitted to carry out its data center business under the first category of “value-added telecommunications business” in

Langfang. 21Vianet Beijing holds a Cross-Regional Value Added Technology license issued by the MIIT on January 17, 2012 with a term effective until January 17, 2017 under the first category of the “value-added telecommunications business.” As specified in this Cross-Regional VAT license, 21Vianet Beijing is permitted to carry out the data center services across nine cities in China. Gehua holds a Value Added Technology License issued by Guangzhou Communications Administration on December 29, 2011 with a term effective until December 20, 2016. It is permitted to carry out its internet access service business and internet information service business under the second category of “value-added telecommunications business” in Guangdong Province. CYSD holds a Value Added Technology License issued by Beijing Communications Administration on April 25, 2011. It is permitted to carry out its internet access service business under the second category of “value-added telecommunications business” in Beijing. Beijing Tianwang holds a Value Added Technology License issued by the Beijing Communications Administration on October 13, 2012 with a term effective until December 12, 2014. It is permitted to carry out its internet access business under the second category of “value-added telecommunications business” in Beijing. Beijing Tianwang also holds a Cross-Regional Value Added Technology License issued by the MIIT on January 7, 2013 with a term effective until January 7, 2018. It is permitted to carry out its virtual private network services under the first category of “value-added telecommunications business” across 25 cities in China.

Regulations on Foreign Investment in Telecommunications Enterprises

The PRC government imposes limitations on the foreign ownership of PRC companies that engage in telecommunications-related business. Under the Administrative Rules for Foreign Investments in Telecommunications Enterprises issued by the PRC State Council on December 11, 2001 and effective on January 1, 2002, a foreign investor is currently prohibited from owning more than 50% of the equity interest in a PRC company that engages in value-added telecommunications business.

The Circular on Strengthening the Administration of Foreign Investment in and Operation of Value-Added Telecommunications Business issued by the MIIT on July 13, 2006, among others, requires a foreign investor to set up a foreign-invested enterprise and obtain an operating permit in order to carry out any value-added telecommunications business in China. Under this circular, a domestic value-added telecommunications service operator that holds a VAT license is prohibited from leasing, transferring or selling such license to foreign investors, and from providing any assistance in the form of resources, sites or facilities to foreign investors that conduct value-added telecommunications business illegally in China. Furthermore, the relevant trademarks and domain names that are used in the value-added telecommunications business of domestic operators must be owned by such domestic operators or their shareholders. The circular further requires each VAT license holder to have the necessary facilities for its approved business operations and to maintain such facilities in the regions covered by its VAT license. In addition, all value-added telecommunications service operators are required to maintain network and information security in accordance with the standards set forth under relevant PRC regulations. Due to a lack of interpretations from the regulator, it remains unclear what impact this circular would have on us.

We conduct our businesses in China primarily through contractual arrangements. 21Vianet Technology has contractual arrangements with 21Vianet China, and its respective shareholders. In the opinion of King and Wood Mallesons, our PRC legal counsel, each of the contracts under the contractual arrangements is valid and legally binding on each party of such arrangements under PRC laws and regulations, and will not result in any violation of PRC laws or regulations currently in effect. However, there are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of PRC laws and regulations. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that the PRC regulatory authorities may not in the future take a view that is contrary to the above opinion of our PRC legal counsel. If the PRC government finds that the arrangements that establish the structure for operating our business do not comply with PRC law and regulations restricting foreign investment in the telecommunications business, we could be subject to severe penalties.

In addition, the Circular on Strengthening the Administration of Foreign Investment in and Operation of Value-Added Telecommunications Business provides that domestic telecommunications companies that intend to

be listed overseas must obtain the approval from the MIIT for such overseas listing. Up to the date of this annual report, the MIIT has not issued any definitive rule concerning whether offerings like ours would be deemed an indirect overseas listing of our PRC affiliates that engage in telecommunications business. If the MIIT subsequently requires that we obtain its approval, it may have a material adverse effect on the trading price of our ADSs.

Regulations on Foreign Exchange Registration of Overseas Investment by PRC Residents

According to Circular 75 and the relevant SAFE regulations, prior registration with the local SAFE branch is required for PRC residents to establish or to control a company located outside of the PRC, or an offshore company, for the purposes of financing such offshore company with assets or equity interests in an enterprise located in the PRC, or an onshore enterprise. An amendment to registration or filing with the local SAFE branch by such PRC resident is also required for the injection of equity interests or assets of an onshore enterprise in the offshore company or overseas funds raised by such offshore company or another material change involving a change in the capital of the offshore company. A notice issued by SAFE on May 20, 2011, or Notice 19, further provides detailed provisions and requirements regarding the foreign exchange registration under Circular 75. Under Notice 19, any PRC citizen, resident, or entity which is a direct or indirect shareholder of an offshore entity is required to update any previously filed registration with the local branch of SAFE to reflect any material change in such offshore entity. Moreover, any offshore entity which fails to comply with Circular 75 may remedy by making the registration with the local branch of SAFE after fulfillment of the administrative penalties imposed by the relevant SAFE branch.

Moreover, Circular 75 and the relevant SAFE regulations apply retroactively. As a result, PRC residents who have established or acquired control of offshore companies that have made onshore investments in the PRC in the past are required to complete the relevant registration with the local SAFE branch. Failure to comply with the registration procedures set forth in Circular 75 and relevant SAFE regulations may result in restrictions on the foreign exchange activities of the relevant foreign-invested enterprises, including the payment of dividends and other distributions, such as proceeds from any reduction in capital, share transfer or liquidation, to its offshore parent or affiliate and the capital injection by the offshore parent, and may also subject relevant PRC residents to penalties under PRC foreign exchange administration regulations. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—PRC regulations relating to the establishment of offshore special purpose companies by PRC residents may subject our PRC resident beneficial owners to personal liability and limit our ability to acquire PRC companies, to inject capital into our PRC subsidiaries, limit our PRC subsidiaries’ ability to distribute profits to us, or otherwise materially and adversely affect us.”

Regulations on Employee Stock Option Granted by Listed Companies

On December 25, 2006, the People’s Bank of China, issued the Administration Measures on Individual Foreign Exchange Control, and its Implementation Rules was issued by SAFE on January 5, 2007, both of which became effective on February 1, 2007. Under these regulations, all foreign exchange matters involved in employee share ownership plans, share option plans and other equity incentive plans participated by PRC individuals shall be transacted upon the approval from the SAFE or its authorized branch.

On February 15, 2012, the SAFE promulgated Circular 7, replacing the Application Procedure of Foreign Exchange Administration for PRC Residents Participating in Employee Stock Holding Plan or Stock Option Plan of Overseas-Listed Company promulgated in March 2007. Circular 7 is applicable to domestic directors, supervisors, senior management and other employees of an overseas-listed domestic company, PRC subsidiaries or branches of an overseas-listed company and any PRC entities which are directly or indirectly controlled by an overseas-listed company, or Domestic Company, including PRC citizens and foreign citizens who have resided in the PRC for one year or more, or PRC Residents. Under Circular 7, PRC Residents who participate in a share incentive plan of an overseas publicly listed company are required, through the Domestic Company or a PRC agent, or Domestic Agent, to complete certain procedures and transactional foreign exchange matters under the

stock incentive plan upon the examination by, and the approval of, SAFE or its authorized local counterparts; the Domestic Agent is required to register relevant information of the stock incentive plan with the authorized local counterparts of SAFE within three business days of each quarter and is also required to complete foreign exchange cancellation procedures within twenty business days after termination of the stock incentive plan.

On July 16, 2010, our board of directors adopted our 2010 share incentive plan which was subsequently amended on January 14, 2011 and July 6, 2012. Under the amended 2010 share incentive plan, we may issue employee stock options to our qualified employees and directors on a regular basis. After our initial public offering, we have advised our employees and directors participating in the 2010 share incentive plan to handle foreign exchange matters in accordance with Circular 7. However, we cannot assure you that our PRC individual beneficiary owners and the stock options holders can successfully register with the SAFE in full compliance with Circular 7. PRC individuals and PRC companies in violation of Circular 7 will be punished by the SAFE, according to the Regulation of the People’s Republic of China on Foreign Exchange Administration, Detailed Rules for the Implementation of the Measures for the Administration of Individual Foreign Exchange and other regulations.

Regulations on Foreign Currency Exchange

Pursuant to applicable PRC regulations on foreign currency exchange, Renminbi is freely convertible only to the extent of current account items, such as trade-related receipts and payments, interest and dividends. Capital account items, such as direct equity investments, loans and repatriation of investment, require the prior approval from the SAFE or its local branch for conversion of Renminbi into a foreign currency, such as U.S. dollars. Payments for transactions that take place within the PRC must be made in Renminbi. Domestic companies or individuals can repatriate foreign currency payments received from abroad, or deposit these payments abroad subject to the requirement that such payments shall be repatriated within a certain period of time. Foreign-invested enterprises may retain foreign exchange in accounts with designated foreign exchange banks. Foreign currencies received for current account items can be either retained or sold to financial institutions that have foreign exchange settlement or sales business without prior approval from the SAFE, subject to certain regulations. Foreign exchange income under capital account can be retained or sold to financial institutions that have foreign exchange settlement and sales business, with prior approval from the SAFE, unless otherwise provided.

In addition, SAFE Circular 142 regulates the conversion by foreign-invested enterprises of foreign currency into Renminbi by restricting how the converted Renminbi may be used. SAFE Circular 142 requires that Renminbi converted from the foreign currency-denominated capital of a foreign-invested enterprise may only be used for purposes within the business scope approved by the relevant government authority and may not be used to make equity investments in PRC, unless specifically provided otherwise. The SAFE further strengthened its oversight over the flow and use of Renminbi funds converted from the foreign currency-denominated capital of a foreign-invested enterprise. The use of such Renminbi may not be changed without approval from the SAFE, and may not be used to repay Renminbi loans if the proceeds of such loans have not yet been used. Any violation of SAFE Circular 142 may result in severe penalties, including substantial fines.

Regulations on Dividend Distribution

Under applicable PRC laws and regulations, foreign-invested enterprises in China may pay dividends only out of their accumulated profits, if any, determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. In addition, foreign-invested enterprises in China are required to allocate at least 10% of their respective accumulated profits each year, if any, to fund statutory reserve funds unless these reserves have reached 50% of the registered capital of the respective enterprises. These reserves are not distributable as cash dividends.

C. Organizational Structure

We commenced operations in 1999, and through a series of corporate restructurings, established a holding company, AsiaCloud, in October 2009 under the laws of the Cayman Islands. AsiaCloud was formerly a wholly-owned subsidiary of aBitCool, a company incorporated under the laws of the Cayman Islands. In October 2010, AsiaCloud effected a repurchase and cancellation of all its outstanding shares held by aBitCool and the issuance of ordinary shares and preferred shares to the shareholders of aBitCool so that they maintained their respective ownership interests in AsiaCloud directly. In connection with the restructuring, AsiaCloud changed its name to 21Vianet Group, Inc.

Due to restrictions under PRC law on foreign ownership of entities engaged in data center and telecommunications value-added services, we conduct our operations in China through contractual arrangements among 21Vianet China, and 21Vianet Technology, and the shareholders of 21Vianet Technology. As a result of these contractual arrangements, we control 21Vianet Technology and have consolidated the financial statements of 21Vianet Technology and its subsidiaries in our consolidated financial statements.

The following diagram illustrates our current corporate structure of our principal operating entities:

LOGO

(1)	Mr. Sheng Chen and Mr. Jun Zhang, our co-founders, hold approximately 70% and 30% of the equity interests in 21Vianet Technology, respectively, and are parties to the contractual agreements through which we conduct our operations in China.

Contractual Arrangements with Our Variable Interest Entity

PRC laws and regulations currently restrict foreign ownership of telecommunications value-added business. Because we are a Cayman Islands company, we are classified as a foreign enterprise under PRC laws and regulations and our wholly-owned PRC subsidiary, 21Vianet China, is considered as a wholly foreign-invested enterprise. To comply with PRC laws and regulations, we conduct our operations in China through a series of contractual arrangements among 21Vianet China, 21Vianet Technology and the shareholders of 21Vianet Technology. 21Vianet Technology is approximately 70% owned by Sheng Chen, our chairman and chief executive officer and 30% owned by Jun Zhang, our chief operating officer. Sheng Chen and Jun Zhang are PRC citizens and therefore, 21Vianet Technology is considered as a domestic company under the PRC laws. For the years ended December 31, 2010, 2011 and 2012, our variable interest entity and its subsidiaries contributed all of our total net revenues.

We have relied and expect to continue to rely, on our consolidated affiliated entities to operate our telecommunications value-added business in China as long as PRC laws and regulations do not allow us to directly operate such business in China. Our contractual arrangements with 21Vianet Technology and its shareholders enable us to:

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exercise effective control over 21Vianet Technology;

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receive substantially all of the economic benefits of 21Vianet Technology in consideration for the services provided by 21Vianet China; and

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have an exclusive option to purchase all of the equity interest in 21Vianet Technology when permissible under PRC laws.

Accordingly, under U.S. GAAP, we consolidate 21Vianet Technology as our “variable interest entity” in our consolidated financial statements.

Our contractual arrangements with 21Vianet Technology and its shareholders are described in further detail as follows:

Agreements that Provide Us Effective Control

Share Pledge Agreement. On February 23, 2011, 21Vianet China entered into a share pledge agreement with 21Vianet Technology and each of its shareholders. Pursuant to the share pledge agreement, each of the shareholders pledged his shares in 21Vianet Technology to 21Vianet China in order to secure the shareholders’ payment obligations under the loan agreement. Each shareholder also agreed not to transfer or create any other security or restriction on the shares of 21Vianet Technology without the prior consent of 21Vianet China. 21Vianet China, at its own discretion, is entitled to acquire each shareholder’s equity interests in 21Vianet Technology as permitted by PRC laws. We have registered the pledges of the equity interests in 21Vianet Technology with the local branch of the State Administration for Industry and Commerce.

Irrevocable Power of Attorney. Each shareholder of 21Vianet Technology has executed an irrevocable power of attorney. Pursuant to the irrevocable power of attorney, each shareholder appointed 21Vianet China or a person designated by 21Vianet China as his/her attorney-in-fact to attend shareholders’ meeting of 21Vianet Technology, exercise all the shareholder’s voting rights, including but not limited to, sale transfer, pledge or dispose of his/her equity interests in 21Vianet Technology. The power of attorney remains valid and irrevocable from the date of execution, so long as each shareholder remains the shareholder of 21Vianet Technology. The above irrevocable power of attorney was subsequently assigned to 21Vianet Group.

Optional Share Purchase Agreement. The optional share purchase agreement is entered into among 21Vianet China, 21Vianet Technology, 21Vianet Beijing and the shareholders of 21Vianet Technology on December 19, 2006. Pursuant to the agreement, the shareholders irrevocably grant 21Vianet China or its

designated persons the sole option to acquire from the shareholders or 21Vianet Technology all or any part of the equity interests in 21Vianet Technology and 21Vianet Beijing when permissible under PRC laws. 21Vianet Technology and 21Vianet Beijing made certain covenants to maintain the value of the equity interests, including but not limited to, engage in the ordinary course of business and refrain from making loans and entering into agreements exceeding the value of RMB200,000 with the exception of transactions made in the ordinary course of business. The term of the agreement is 10 years, expiring on December 18. 2016, which is renewable at the sole discretion of 21Vianet China.

Agreements that Transfer Economic Benefits from our Variable Interest Entity to Us or Absorb Losses

Loan Agreement. 21Vianet China and the shareholders of 21Vianet Technology entered into a loan agreement on January 28, 2011. Pursuant to the agreements, 21Vianet China has provided interest-free loan facilities of RMB7.0 million and RMB3.0 million, respectively, to the shareholders of 21Vianet Technology, Sheng Chen and Jun Zhang, which was used to provide capital to 21Vianet Technology to develop our data center and telecommunications value-added business and related businesses. There is no fixed term for the loan. To repay the loans, the shareholders of 21Vianet Technology are required to transfer their shares in 21Vianet Technology to 21Vianet China or any entity or person designated by 21Vianet China, as permitted under PRC laws. The shareholders of 21Vianet Technology also undertake not to transfer all or part of their equity interests in 21Vianet Technology to any third party, or to create any encumbrance, without the written permission from 21Vianet China. In addition, we will provide unlimited financial support to 21Vianet Technology for its operations and agreed to forego the right to seek repayment in the event 21Vianet Technology is unable to repay such funding.

Exclusive Technical Consulting and Services Agreement. On July 15, 2003, 21Vianet China and 21Vianet Technology entered into an exclusive service agreement, which was superseded by a new exclusive technical consulting and service agreement entered into among 21Vianet China, 21Vianet Technology and 21Vianet Beijing on December 19, 2006. 21Vianet China agreed to provide 21Vianet Technology and 21Vianet Beijing with exclusive technical consulting and services, including internet technology services and management consulting services. 21Vianet Technology and 21Vianet Beijing agreed to pay an hourly rate of RMB1,000 and the rate is subject to adjustment at the sole discretion of 21Vianet China. 21Vianet Technology and 21Vianet Beijing agreed that they will not accept similar or comparable service arrangements that may replace the services provided by 21Vianet China without prior written consent of 21Vianet China. 21Vianet China is entitled to have sole and exclusive ownership of all rights, title and interests to any and all intellectual property rights arising from the provision of services. The term of this agreement is 10 years, expiring on December 18, 2016. This agreement is renewable at the sole discretion of 21Vianet China.

In the opinion of King & Wood Mallesons, our PRC legal counsel, each of the contracts under the contractual arrangements among us, 21Vianet China, 21Vianet Technology and the shareholders of 21Vianet Technology governed by PRC law is valid, legal binding and enforceable to each party of such agreements under PRC laws and regulations, and will not result in any violation of PRC laws or regulations currently in effect.

We have been advised by our PRC legal counsel, however, that there are substantial uncertainties regarding the interpretation and application of current and future PRC laws and regulations. Accordingly, there can be no assurance that the PRC regulatory authorities, in particular the MIIT, which regulates providers of telecommunications value-added services and other participants in the PRC telecommunications industry, and the Ministry of Commerce, will not in the future take a view that is contrary to the above opinion of our PRC legal counsel. We have been further advised by our PRC legal counsel that if the PRC government finds that the agreements that establish the structure for operating our value-added services in China do not comply with PRC government restrictions on foreign investment in the telecommunications industry, we could be subject to severe penalties including being prohibited from continuing our operations. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure—If the PRC government finds that the arrangements that establish the structure for operating our business do not comply with PRC government restrictions on foreign investment in the telecommunications

business or if these regulations or the interpretation of existing regulations change in the future, we could be subject to severe penalties or be forced to relinquish our interests in those operations.” In addition, these contractual arrangements may not be as effective in providing us with control over 21Vianet Technology as would direct ownership of 21Vianet Technology. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure—We rely on contractual arrangements with our variable interest entity and its shareholders for our China operations, which may not be as effective as direct ownership in providing operational control.”

D. Property, Plants and Equipment

Our headquarters are located at M5, 1 Jiuxianqiao East Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing, the People’s Republic of China. We lease facilities for our office space in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Xi’an and Hangzhou. Our office leases generally have terms ranging from one to ten years and may be renewed upon expiration of the lease terms. As of December 31, 2012, our offices occupied an aggregate of 10,811 square meters of leased space.

In Beijing, we also lease facilities for our self-built data centers located: (i) in the Chaoyang District, through three lease agreements with BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd., (ii) in the Beijing Economic and Technological Development Zone, through a lease agreement with Beijing Tengfei Boda Real Estate Development Co., Ltd., and (iii) in the Daxing District, through a lease agreement with Beijing Xingguang Tuocheng Investment Co., Ltd. These leases provide an aggregate of approximately 55,800 square meters of leased space and hosted a total of 1,043 cabinets as of December 31, 2012. The three leases with BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd. have a term of five years, eight years and three years, respectively, expiring on April 30, 2015, August 31, 2019 and March 31, 2015, respectively. The two leases with BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd. with a term of five years and eight years, respectively, may be renewed upon mutually agreed-upon terms before they expire. We enjoy pre-emptive right to renew the lease under the lease agreement with BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd. with a term of three years. The lease with Beijing Tengfei Boda Real Estate Development Co., Ltd. has a term of ten years expiring on August 31, 2021, subject to our pre-emptive right to renew the lease. The lease with Beijing Xingguang Tuocheng Investment Co., Ltd. has a term of twenty years expiring on February 28, 2033, subject to our pre-emptive right to renew the lease.

In Shenzhen, we also lease facilities for our self-built data centers located in the Nanshan District, through two lease agreements with Shenzhen Merchants Property Development Co., Ltd., which provide an aggregate of 2,526 square meters of leased space and hosted a total of 455 cabinets as of December 31, 2012. The leases both have a term of 47 months expiring on September 30, 2015.

In Shanghai, we also lease facilities for our self-built data centers located in the Baoshan District, through a lease agreement with Shanghai Cloud Century Co., Ltd., which provides an aggregate of 10,409 square meters of leases space and hosted a total of 1,387 cabinets as of December 31, 2012. The lease has a term of 18 years expiring on May 12, 2030.

In Hangzhou, we also lease facilities for our self-built data centers, offices and research centers located in Hangzhou Economic Development Zone, through a lease agreement with Hangzhou Economic and Development Zone Qiantang Real Estate Development Co., Ltd., which provides an aggregate of 11,020 square meters of leased space. The lease has a term of 20 years expiring on July 31, 2031, subject to our pre-emptive right to renew the lease.

ITEM 4A.

UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

Not applicable.

ITEM 5.

OPERATING AND FINANCIAL REVIEW AND PROSPECTS

You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes included elsewhere in this annual

report on Form 20-F. This discussion may contain forward-looking statements based upon current expectations that involve risks and uncertainties. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of various factors, including those set forth under “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors” or in other parts of this annual report on Form 20-F.

A. Operating Results

Overview

We are the largest carrier-neutral internet data center services provider in China as measured by revenues in 2011, according to data released by IDC, an independent third-party research firm. We host our customers’ servers and networking equipment and provide interconnectivity to improve the performance, availability and security of their internet infrastructure. We also provide managed network services to enable customers to deliver data across the internet in a faster and more reliable manner through our extensive data transmission network and our proprietary smart routing technology. We believe that the scale of our data center and networking assets positions us well to capture opportunities and become a leader in the rapidly emerging market for cloud computing infrastructure services in China.

We have benefited from our premium data centers and extensive interconnected nationwide data transmission network, diversified and loyal customer base and our strong focus on customer satisfaction and technological innovation. Going forward, we expect that we will continue to benefit from the growth of China’s data center services market. However, we also face risks and uncertainties, including those relating to our ability to successfully implement our expansion plan, our integration of newly acquired businesses, our competition with, and dependency on, China Telecom and China Unicom, our ability to attract new customers and retain existing customers and our ability to control costs as a result of being a public company. In particular, we plan to increase the aggregate number of cabinets under our management from 11,917 cabinets as of December 31, 2012 to more than 20,000 cabinets by the end of 2013 through adding new self-built data centers and partnered data centers. We also plan to expand our CDN services as part of our hosting business. If we are not able to successfully implement our expansion plan or our planned expansion does not achieve the desired results, our business and results of operations could be materially and adversely affected.

As part of our business expansion strategy to expand our managed network services, we acquired 51% equity interest in the Managed Network Entities in September 2010 and we acquired the remaining 49% equity interest in each of the Managed Network Entities in December 2011. We also acquired 100% equity interest in Gehua in October 2011. Therefore, the results of operations of the Managed Network Entities and Gehua were consolidated into our results of operations.

To stay focused on our long-term growth strategy in providing data center services, we disposed certain businesses that were not part of our core data center services business as of March 31, 2010. Accordingly, the financial results associated with these disposed businesses have been presented as discontinued operations for all periods presented in this annual report. Unless otherwise indicated, all the financial and operating data discussed in this annual report relate to our continuing operations only.

Our net revenues increased from RMB525.2 million in 2010, to RMB1.0 billion in 2011 and to RMB1.5 billion (US$244.6 million) in 2012, representing a CAGR of 70.4% from 2010 to 2012. The total number of cabinets under our management increased from 5,750 as of December 31, 2010, to 7,816 as of December 31, 2011 and to 11,917 as of December 31, 2012. Our average monthly recurring net revenues increased from RMB41.9 million in 2010 to RMB82.0 million in 2011 and to RMB125.2 million (US$20.0 million) in 2012. Our net loss from continuing operations in 2010 was RMB234.7 million, which included share-based compensation expenses of RMB277.9 million. We recorded a net profit from continuing operations of RMB45.9 million in 2011, which reflected share-based compensation expenses of RMB42.0 million. We recorded a net profit from continuing operation of RMB57.7 million (US$9.3 million) in 2012, which reflected share-based compensation of RMB67.6 million (US$10.9 million).

Factors Affecting Our Results of Operations

Our business and results of operations are generally affected by the development of China’s data center services market. We have benefited from the rapid growth of China’s data center services market during the recent years. According to IDC, the total China internet data center services market was US$1.3 billion in 2011, a 43.4% increase over US$0.9 billion in 2010, and is expected to reach US$3.9 billion by 2016, representing a five-year CAGR of 25.5%. However, any adverse changes in the data center services market in China may harm our business and results of operations.

While our business is influenced by factors affecting the data center services market in China generally, we believe that our results of operations are more directly affected by company-specific factors, including number of cabinets under management and cabinet utilization rate, monthly recurring revenues and churn rate, pricing, expansion of our managed network services and our cost structure.

Number of Cabinets under Management and Cabinet Utilization Rate

Our revenues are directly affected by the number of cabinets under management and the utilization rates of these cabinet spaces. We had 5,750, 7,816 and 11,917 cabinets under management as of December 31, 2010, 2011 and 2012, respectively. Our average monthly cabinet utilization rates were 78.8%, 80.6% and 66.3% in 2010, 2011 and 2012, respectively. Our future results of operations and growth prospects will largely depend on our ability to increase the number of cabinets under management while maintaining optimal cabinet utilization rate. With the rapid growth of China’s internet industry, demand for cabinet spaces has increased significantly and we do not always have sufficient self-built capacity to meet such demand. It usually takes six to eight months to build a data center together with cabinets and equipment installed. To meet our customers’ immediate demand, we may partner with China Telecom or China Unicom and lease cabinets from them. Due to the time needed to build data centers and the long-term nature of these investments, if we over-estimate the market demand for cabinets, it will lower our cabinet utilization rate and negatively affect our results of operations.

Monthly Recurring Revenues and Churn Rate

Our average monthly recurring revenues and churn rate directly affect our results of operations. Our business is based on a recurring revenue model comprised of hosting services and managed network services. We consider these services recurring as our customers are generally billed and revenue recognized on a fixed and recurring basis each month for the duration of their contract, which is generally one year in length. Our non-recurring revenues are primarily comprised of fees charged for installation services, additional bandwidth used by customers beyond contracted amount and other value-added services. These services are considered to be non-recurring as they are billed and recognized over the period of the customer service agreement.

We use “monthly recurring revenues” to measure those revenues recognized on a fixed and recurring basis each month. Recurring revenues have comprised more than 95% of our total revenues for each of the months during the past three years. Our average monthly recurring revenues increased from RMB41.9 million in 2010 to RMB82.0 million in 2011 and to RMB125.2 million (US$20.0 million) in 2012.

We use “churn rate” to measure the reduction of monthly revenues as a percentage of total monthly recurring revenues of the previous month that are attributable to the non-renewal or termination of customer contracts. Our average monthly average churn rates as measured by monthly recurring revenues were 0.9%, 0.8% and 0.9% in 2010, 2011 and 2012, respectively.

Pricing

Our results of operations also depend on the price level of our services. Due to the quality of our services and our optimized interconnectivity among carriers and networks, we are generally able to command premium

pricing for our services. Nonetheless, because we are generally regarded as a premium data center and network service provider, many customers only place their mission critical servers and equipment in our data centers, but not the bulk of their needs. As we try to acquire more business from new and existing customers, we may need to lower our prices or provide other incentives.

Expansion of Managed Network Services

We started offering managed network services in 2008 and revenues derived from managed network services constituted 28.6%, 39.8% and 43.1% of our total net revenues in 2010, 2011 and 2012, respectively. Our revenues from managed network services have increased from RMB150.3 million in 2010 to RMB406.3 million 2011 and RMB657.3 million (US$105.5 million) 2012. As part of our business expansion strategy to expand our managed network services, we acquired 51% equity interest in the Managed Network Entities in September 2010 and the remaining 49% equity interest in December 2011. We also acquired 100% equity interest in Gehua in October 2011. We believe our managed network services will benefit from the growing market demands for faster data transmission and better interconnection, and we will see significant revenue growth attributable to our managed network service in the coming years.

However, as we further expand our managed network services, we will incur additional costs to purchase equipment and lease more optical fibers to establish more POPs and provide sufficient bandwidth. Also, acquired assets or businesses may not generate the financial results we expect. Acquisitions could also result in the use of substantial amount of cash, potentially dilutive issuances of equity and equity-linked securities, significant goodwill impairment charges, amortization expenses for other intangible assets and exposure to potential unknown liabilities of the acquired business.

Our Cost Structure

Our ability to maintain and improve our gross margins depends on our ability to effectively manage our cost of revenues, which consist of telecommunications costs and other data center related costs. Telecommunications costs refer to expenses associated with acquiring bandwidth and related resources from carriers for our data centers. Telecommunications costs also cover rentals, utilities and other costs in connection with the cabinets we lease from our partnered data centers. Other costs include utilities and rental expenses for our self-built data centers, payroll, depreciation and amortization of our property and equipment, and other related costs. These costs increase as the number of our cabinets under management increases, likewise as we increase our headcount.

The mix of the self-built data centers and partnered data centers also affects our cost structure. Gross margin for cabinets located in our partnered data centers is generally lower than cabinets located in our self-built data centers. This is because telecommunication carriers who lease cabinet spaces to us for our partnered data centers would demand a profit on top of their costs in connection with the leasing of cabinet spaces to us. We plan to continue to lease data centers from such carriers to meet the immediate market demand while building data centers in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Xi’an and the greater Guangzhou metropolitan area. If we cannot effectively manage the market demand and increase the number of cabinets located in self-built data centers relatively to partnered data centers, we may not be able to improve our gross margins.

Key Components of Results of Operations

Net Revenues

The following table sets forth our revenues derived from our hosting and related services and managed network services, both in an absolute amount and as a percentage of total net revenues from our continuing operations, for the periods presented.


	For the Year Ended December 31,
	2010				2011				2012
	RMB		%		RMB		%		RMB		US$		%
	(in thousands, except percentages)
Net revenues:
Hosting and related services		374,946		71.4		614,612		60.2		866,882		139,144		56.9
Managed network services		150,257		28.6		406,317		39.8		657,276		105,500		43.1

Total net revenues		525,203		100.0		1,020,929		100.0		1,524,158		244,644		100.0

Hosting and Related Services

Historically, hosting and related services have been our primary sources of revenues. Hosting and related services include managed hosting services, interconnectivity services, content delivery services and value-added services. Revenues from our hosting and related services were RMB374.9 million, RMB614.6 million and RMB866.9 million (US$139.1 million) in 2010, 2011 and 2012, respectively, representing 71.4%, 60.2% and 56.9% of our total net revenues in the respective periods.

We generally enter into contracts with our customers with terms ranging from one to three years and most of our customer contracts have an automatic renewal provision. Customers generally pay our service fees on a monthly basis according to the amount of hosting spaces, the bandwidth and other value-added services they used or leased in the previous month.

Managed Network Services

Revenues from our managed network services have significantly increased both in absolute amounts as a percentage of our total net revenues. Revenues from our managed network services were RMB150.3 million, RMB406.3 million and RMB657.3 million (US$105.5 million) in 2010, 2011 and 2012, respectively, representing 28.6%, 39.8% and 43.1% of our total net revenues in the respective periods.

Our managed network services help our customers optimize the internet routing experience through our proprietary routing technology and our extensive data transmission network. Contracts with customers of our managed network services generally have one-year terms with an automatic renewal provision. We charge our customers a monthly fee for the bandwidth optimized through our managed network services.

Cost of Revenues

Our cost of revenues primarily consists of telecommunications cost, and other costs. The following table sets forth, for the periods indicated, our cost of revenues, in absolute amounts and as a percentage of our total net revenues:


	For the Year Ended December 31,
	2010				2011				2012
	RMB		%		RMB		%		RMB		US$		%
	(in thousands, except percentages)
Cost of revenues:
Telecommunications costs		322,701		61.5		600,321		58.8		887,173		142,401		58.2
Others		74,157		14.1		144,050		14.1		211,304		33,917		13.9

Total cost of revenues		396,858		75.6		744,371		72.9		1,098,477		176,318		72.1

Telecommunications costs refer to expenses incurred in acquiring telecommunication resources from carriers for our data centers, including bandwidth and cabinet leasing costs. Cabinet leasing costs cover rentals, utilities and other costs associated with the cabinets we lease from our partnered data centers. Our other costs of revenues include utilities costs for our self-built data centers, depreciation and amortization, payroll and other compensation costs and other miscellaneous items related to our service offerings.

We expect that our cost of revenues will continue to increase as our business expands, both organically and as a result of acquisitions. Additionally, we anticipate recording significant expenses related to the amortization of the intangible assets that we have acquired through acquisitions as these intangible assets are amortized over their remaining useful lives.

Operating Expenses

Our operating expenses consist of sales and marketing expenses, general and administrative expenses and research and development expenses. The following table sets forth our operating expenses for our continuing operations, both as an absolute amount and as a percentage of total net revenues for the periods indicated.


	For the Year Ended December 31,
	2010				2011				2012
	RMB		% of Net Revenues		RMB		% of Net Revenues		RMB		US$		% of Net Revenues
	(in thousands, except percentages)
Operating expenses:

Sales and marketing expenses⁽¹⁾		51,392		9.8		80,885		7.9		109,871		17,636		7.2
General and administrative expenses⁽¹⁾		282,298		53.7		82,926		8.1		153,512		24,640		10.1
Research and development expenses⁽¹⁾		19,924		3.8		34,657		3.4		63,929		10,261		4.2
Changes in the fair value of contingent purchase consideration payable		7,537		1.4		63,185		6.2		17,430		2,798		1.1

Total Operating Expenses⁽¹⁾		361,151		68.7		261,653		25.6		344,742		55,335		22.6

(1)	Includes share-based compensation expense as follows:


	2010		2011		2012
	RMB		RMB		RMB		US$
	(in thousands)
Allocation of share-based compensation expenses:
Sales and marketing expenses		11,884		5,763		10,508		1,687
General and administrative expenses		254,936		31,420		47,749		7,664
Research and development expenses		6,416		2,619		4,858		780

Total share-based compensation expenses		273,236		39,802		63,115		10,131

Sales and Marketing Expenses

Our sales and marketing expenses primarily consist of compensation and benefit expenses for our sales and marketing staff, including share-based compensation expenses, as well as advertisement and agency service fees. Our sales and marketing expenses also include office-related expenses and business development expenses associated with our sales and marketing activities. To a lesser extent, our sales and marketing expenses include depreciation of equipment used associated with our selling and marketing activities. As our business expands, both organically and as a result of acquisitions, we expect to increase the headcount of our sales and marketing staff and as a result, increase our sales and marketing expenses.

General and Administrative Expenses

Our general and administrative expenses primarily consist of compensation and benefits paid to our management and administrative staff, including share-based compensation expenses, the cost of third-party professional services, and depreciation and amortization of property and equipment used in our administrative activities. Our general and administrative expenses, to a lesser extent, also include office rent, office-related expenses, and expenses associated with training and team building activities. We expect that our other general and administrative expense items, such as salaries paid to our management and administrative staff as well as professional services fees, will increase as we expand our business, both organically and as a result of acquisitions.

Research and Development Expenses

Our research and development expenses primarily include salaries, employee benefits, share-based compensation expenses and other expenses incurred in connection with our technological innovations, such as container-based data centers and our proprietary smart routing technology. We anticipate that our research and development expenses will continue to increase as we devote more resources to develop and improve technologies, improve operating efficiencies and enhance our service offerings, including public cloud services.

Share-Based Compensation Expenses

We recorded share-based compensation expenses in connection with share options and RSUs granted under our 2010 share incentive plan. As of the date of this annual report, we have granted options to purchase 16,909,914 ordinary shares and 817,722 RSUs to our employees, directors and consultants issued and outstanding. We recorded share-based compensation expenses in the amount of RMB63.1 million (US$10.1 million) in 2012 in connection with our share-based incentive grants, as compared to RMB39.8 million in 2011.

Amortization Expenses for Intangible Assets

Although amortization expenses for intangible assets have not been a significant factor affecting our results of operations, such amortization expenses have increased recently. In 2010, 2011 and 2012, our amortization expenses were RMB11.4 million, RMB30.1 million and RMB35.4 million (US$5.7 million), respectively. Primarily due to our acquisition of Gehua and Fastweb, our intangible assets increased from RMB157.1 million as of December 31, 2010 to RMB159.4 million as of December 31, 2011 and to RMB303.9 million (US$48.8 million) as of December 31, 2012.

Taxation

The Cayman Islands

The Cayman Islands currently does not levy taxes on individuals or corporations based upon profits, income, gains or appreciation and there is no taxation in the nature of inheritance tax or estate duty. There are no other taxes likely to be material to our company levied by the government of the Cayman Islands, except for stamp duties that may be applicable on instruments executed in, or after execution brought within the jurisdiction of, the Cayman Islands. The Cayman Islands is not a party to any double taxation treaties that are applicable to any payments made to or by our company. There are no exchange control regulations or currency restrictions in the Cayman Islands.

Hong Kong

Our Hong Kong subsidiaries, 21Vianet HK and Hongkong Fastweb Holdings Co., Limited, are subject to Hong Kong profits tax rate of 16.5% for the three years ended December 31, 2010, 2011 and 2012. We have not made a provision for Hong Kong profits tax in the consolidated financial statements because 21Vianet HK and Hongkong Fastweb Holdings Co., Limited had no assessable profits in the years ended December 31, 2010, 2011 and 2012.

PRC

Our PRC subsidiaries are subject to PRC EIT on the taxable income in accordance with the relevant PRC income tax laws.

On March 16, 2007, the National People’s Congress enacted the New EIT Law, effective on January 1, 2008. The New EIT Law unified the previously-existing separate income tax laws for domestic enterprises and foreign invested enterprises and adopted a unified 25% EIT rate applicable to all resident enterprises in China, except for certain entities established prior to March 16 that are eligible for their existing preferential tax incentives, adjusted by certain transitional phase-out rules promulgated by the State Council on December 26, 2007. In addition, certain enterprises may enjoy a preferential EIT rate of 15% under the New EIT Law if they qualify as High and New Technology Enterprise, or HNTE, subject to various qualification criteria.

In April 2009, 21Vianet Beijing received an approval of a six-year tax holiday effective from January 1, 2006, which allows it to utilize a three-year 100% tax exemption followed by a three-year 50% reduced EIT rate. In December 2008, 21Vianet Beijing also received an approval as an HNTE and became eligible for a 15% preferential tax rate effective from 2008 to 2010. In September 2011, 21Vianet Beijing renewed its HNTE status and became eligible for a 15% preferential tax rate effective from 2011 and 2014. In accordance with the New EIT Law, an enterprise awarded with HNTE status may enjoy a reduced EIT rate of 15%. However, in the event that any of the various provisions of the transitional preferential EIT policies, the New EIT Law and its implementing regulations overlap, an enterprise may choose the most favorable policy at its sole and absolute discretion. 21Vianet Beijing chose to apply the tax holiday for the years ended December 31, 2010 and 2011 and enjoyed a preferential tax rate of 12.5%. For the year ended December 31, 2012, 21Vianet Beijing chose to apply the 15% preferential tax rate.

In April 2011, 21Vianet Xi’an obtained a written approval from Shaanxi Tax Bureau for a preferential tax rate of 15%. The preferential tax rate is awarded to companies that have operations in certain industries and meet the criteria set forth in the Preferential Tax Policies for Development of the Western Regions. Such qualification for preferential tax rate needs to be assessed on an annual basis.

In July 2012, Gehua also received an approval as an HNTE and became eligible for a 15% preferential tax rate effective from 2012 to 2015.

In June 2009, Fastweb BJ received an approval as an HNTE and became eligible for a 15% preferential tax rate effective from 2009 to 2011, and for an additional three years thereafter if it is able to meet the technical and administrative requirements for HNTE in those three years. Fastweb BJ’s HNTE certificate expired as of December 31, 2011 and a renewed certificate was issued in May 2012, which will expire on December 31, 2014.

Our other PRC subsidiaries were subject to an EIT rate of 25% for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2011 and 2012.

Under the New EIT Law, dividends paid by PRC enterprises out of profits earned after 2007 to non-PRC tax resident investors are subject to PRC withholding tax of 10%. A lower withholding tax rate may be applied based on applicable tax treaty with certain countries.

The New EIT Law also provides that enterprises established under the laws of foreign countries or regions and whose “place of effective management” is located within the PRC are considered PRC tax resident enterprises and subject to PRC income tax at the rate of 25% on worldwide income. The definition of “place of effective management” refers to an establishment that exercises, in substance, overall management and control over the production and business, personnel, accounting, properties, etc. of an enterprise. As of December 31, 2012, no detailed interpretation or guidance has been issued to define “place of effective management.” Furthermore, as of December 31, 2012, the administrative practice associated with interpreting and applying the concept of “place of effective management” is unclear. We believe we are not a PRC resident enterprise. However, if we are deemed to be a PRC resident enterprise, we would be subject to PRC tax under the New EIT Law. We have analyzed the applicability of this law as of December 31, 2012, and recorded a liability for the uncertain tax positions. We will continue to monitor changes in the interpretation or guidance of this law.

Critical Accounting Policies

Our discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations are based upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP. The preparation of our consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts in our consolidated financial statements. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities. Although actual results have historically been reasonably consistent with management’s expectations, actual results may differ from these estimates or our estimates may be affected by different assumptions or conditions.

Some of our accounting policies require higher degrees of judgment than others in their application. When reviewing our consolidated financial statements, you should consider (i) our selection of critical accounting policies, (ii) the judgment and other uncertainties affecting the application of such policies and (iii) the sensitivity of reported results to changes in conditions and assumptions. We consider the policies discussed below to be critical to an understanding of our consolidated financial statements as their application places significant demands on the judgment of our management. We believe the following critical accounting policies are the most significant to the presentation of our financial statements and some of which may require the most difficult, subjective and complex judgments and should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements, the risks and uncertainties described under “Risk Factors” and other disclosures included in this annual report.

Revenue Recognition

We host our customers’ servers and networking equipment, improving the performance, availability and security of their internet services. We also provide managed network services to enable our customers to deliver data across the internet in a faster and more reliable manner through extensive data transmission network and smart routing technology.

Consistent with the criteria of Staff Accounting Bulletin No. 104, Revenue Recognition, we recognize revenue from sales of these services when there is a signed sales agreement with fixed or determinable fees, services have been provided to the customer and collection of the resulting customer’s receivable is reasonably assured.

Our services are provided under the terms of a master service agreement, which will typically accompany a one-year term renewal option with the same terms and conditions. Customers choose at the outset of the arrangement to either use our services through a monthly fixed bandwidth or traffic volume usage and fee arrangement, or choose a plan based on actual bandwidth or traffic volume used during the month at fixed pre-set rates. We recognize and bill for revenue for excess usage, if any, in the month of its occurrence to the extent a customer’s usage of the services exceeds their pre-set monthly fixed bandwidth usage and fee arrangements. The rates as specified in the master service agreements are fixed for the duration of the contract term and are not subject to adjustment.

We may charge our customers an initial set-up fee prior to the commencement of services. We record these initial set-up fees as deferred revenue and recognize revenue ratably over the period of the customer service agreement. Generally, all our customers’ service agreements will require some amount of initial set-up along with the selected service subscription.

Business tax on revenues earned from provision of services to customers is recorded as a deduction from gross revenue to derive net revenue in the same period in which the related revenue is recognized. Except for 21Vianet (Xi’an) Technology Co., Ltd., which is subject to 5% business tax rate on their revenues, all other PRC subsidiaries and consolidated affiliated entities are subject to a 3% business tax rate. The business tax expenses for the years ended December 31, 2010, 2011 and 2012 amounted to approximately RMB20.5 million, RMB42.2 million and RMB56.1 million (US$9.0 million), respectively.

Fair Value of Financial Instruments

Our financial instruments include cash and cash equivalents, short-term investments, restricted cash, accounts receivable, other receivables, short-term bank borrowings, accounts payable, balances with related parties, other payables and long-term bank borrowings. Other than our long-term bank borrowings, the carrying values of these financial instruments approximate their fair values due to their short-term maturities. The long-term bank borrowings approximate their fair values as they bear interest rates which approximate market interest rates.

The contingent consideration in both cash and shares are initially measured at fair value of the date of acquisition of the Managed Network Entities, Gehua and Fastweb and subsequently remeasured at the end of each reporting period with any adjustment to the fair value recorded to the current period expense. With the assistance of an independent third party valuation firm, we determined the estimated fair value of our preferred shares, the contingent consideration in both cash and shares that are recognized in the consolidated financial statements.

Consolidation of Variable Interest Entity

PRC laws and regulations currently restrict foreign ownership of PRC companies that engage in value-added telecommunications services, including content and application delivery services. To comply with the foreign ownership restriction, we conduct our business in China through contractual arrangements. 21Vianet Technology has contractual arrangements with 21Vianet China, and its respective shareholders. See “—C. Organizational Structure”. 21Vianet Beijing, subsidiary of 21Vianet Technology, holds a Cross-Regional VAT licenses to carry out the data center services across nine cities in China. We exercise effective control over 21Vianet Technology through a series of contractual arrangements, including: (i) an irrevocable power of attorney, under which each shareholder of 21Vianet Technology appointed 21Vianet China or a person designated by 21Vianet China as his/her attorney-in-fact to attend shareholders’ meeting of 21Vianet Technology and exercise all the shareholder’s voting rights; (ii) a loan agreement pursuant to which we agree to give unlimited financial support to 21Vianet Technology; and (iii) an exclusive technical consulting and services agreement, where we receive substantially all of the economic benefits of 21Vianet Technology in consideration for the services provided by 21Vianet China and we are considered the primary beneficiary of 21Vianet Technology. Accordingly, 21Vianet Technology is our variable interest entity under U.S. GAAP and we consolidate its result in our consolidated financial statements. We have confirmed with King and Wood Mallesons, our PRC legal counsel, on the compliance and validity of each of the contractual agreements under PRC laws and regulations. However, any change in PRC laws and regulations may affect our ability to effectively control 21Vianet Technology and preclude us from consolidating 21Vianet Technology in the future.

Business Combinations

In 2009, we adopted ASC 805, Business Combinations, which revised the accounting guidance in FASB Statement No. 141, Business Combinations that we were required to apply to our acquisition of Shanghai Guotong Network Co., Ltd., or Shanghai Guotong, in June 2007. We acquired the Managed Network Entities, Gehua, 21V Xi’an and Fastweb in September 2010, October 2011, July 2012 and September 2012, respectively, and have accounted for these acquisitions pursuant to ASC 805. ASC 805 requires us to recognize separately from goodwill the assets acquired and the liabilities assumed at their acquisition date fair values. Goodwill as of the acquisition date is measured as the excess of consideration transferred and the net of the acquisition date fair values of the assets acquired and the liabilities assumed. In cases where we acquire less than 100% ownership interest, we will derive the fair value of the acquired business as a whole, which will typically include a control premium and subtract the consideration transferred by us for the controlling interest to identify the fair value of the noncontrolling interest. In addition, the share purchase agreements entered into may contain contingent consideration provisions obligating us to pay additional purchase consideration, upon the acquired business’s achievement of certain agreed upon operating performance based milestones. Under ASC 805, these contingent

consideration arrangements are required to be recognized and measured at fair value at the acquisition date as either a liability or as an equity instrument, with liability instruments being required to be remeasured at each reporting period through the results of our operations until such time as to when the contingency is resolved.

For example, in connection with our acquisition of the Managed Network Entities, Gehua and Fastweb, we determine the estimated fair value of acquired identifiable intangible and tangible assets as well as assumed liabilities with the assistance of an independent third party valuation firm. We derive estimates of the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed using reasonable assumptions based on historical experiences and on the information obtained from management of the acquired companies. Critical estimates in valuing certain of the acquired intangible assets required us to but were not limited to the following: deriving estimates of future expected cash flows from the acquired business, the determination of an appropriate discount rate, deriving assumptions regarding the period of time that the acquired vendor contracts and customer relationship arrangements would continue and the initial measurement and recognition of any contingent consideration arrangements and the evaluation of whether contingent consideration arrangement is in substance compensation for future services. Unanticipated events may occur which may affect the accuracy or validity of such assumptions or estimates.

In case where we acquired the remaining interest in a subsidiary once we have obtained control, such transaction is accounted for as an equity transaction where the difference between the fair value of the purchase consideration and the carrying amount of the non-controlling interests recorded in additional paid-in capital.

Goodwill

We assess goodwill for impairment in accordance with ASC 350-20, Intangibles—Goodwill and Other: Goodwill, which requires that goodwill be tested for impairment at the reporting unit level at least annually and more frequently upon the occurrence of certain events, as defined by ASC 350-20.

Goodwill represents the excess of the purchase price over the amounts assigned to the fair value of the assets acquired and the liabilities assumed of an acquired business. Our goodwill at December 31, 2011 and 2012 were related to its acquisitions of SH Guotong, the Managed Network Entities, Gehua and Fastweb. In accordance with ASC 350, Goodwill and Other Intangible Assets, recorded goodwill amounts are not amortized, but rather are tested for impairment annually or more frequently if there are indicators of impairment present.

The performance of the impairment test in accordance to ASC 350 involves a two-step process. The first step of the impairment test involves comparing the fair value of the reporting unit with its carrying amount, including goodwill. Fair value is primarily determined by computing the future discounted cash flows expected to be generated by the reporting unit. If the reporting unit’s carrying value exceeds its fair value, goodwill may be impaired. If this occurs, the Company performs the second step of the goodwill impairment test to determine the amount of impairment loss.

The fair value of the reporting unit is allocated to its assets and liabilities in a manner similar to a purchase price allocation in order to determine the implied fair value of the reporting unit’s goodwill. If the implied goodwill fair value is less than its carrying value, the difference is recognized an impairment loss.

In accordance with ASC 350, we assigned and assessed goodwill for impairment at the reporting unit level. A reporting unit is an operating segment or one level below the operating segment. We have determined it has one reporting unit, which is also its only operating segment. Goodwill that has arisen as a result of the acquisitions of SH Guotong, the Managed Network Entities, Gehua and Fastweb was assigned to this reporting unit.

In 2012, we have elected to assess goodwill for impairment using the two-step process. As of October 1, 2012, we completed our annual impairment test for goodwill that has arisen out of the acquisitions of SH Guotong, the Managed Network Entities, Gehua. We determined the fair value of the reporting unit using the

income approach based on the discounted expected cash flows associated with the reporting unit. The discounted cash flows for the reporting unit were based on six year projections. Cash flow projections were based on past experience, actual operating results and management best estimates about future developments as well as certain market assumptions. Cash flows after six years were estimated using a terminal value calculation, which considered terminal value growth at 3%, considering the long term revenue growth for entities in a similar industry in the PRC. The discount rate of approximately 13.5% was derived and used in the valuations which reflect the market assessment of the risks specific to us and our industry and is based on its weighted average cost of capital. The resulting fair value of the reporting unit was higher than its carrying value, and as such, we were not required to complete the second step; therefore, no impairment losses were recognized in 2012. Similarly, pursuant to the same goodwill impairment tests, no impairment losses were recognized in 2010 and 2011.

Impairment of long-lived assets and intangibles

We evaluate our long-lived assets or asset group, including intangible assets with finite lives, for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances (such as a significant adverse change to market conditions that will impact the future use of the assets) indicate that the carrying amount of an asset or a group of long-lived assets may not be recoverable. When these events occur, we evaluate for impairment by comparing the carrying amount of the assets to future undiscounted net cash flows expected to result from the use of the assets and their eventual disposition. If the sum of the expected undiscounted cash flow is less than the carrying amount of the assets, we would recognize an impairment loss based on the excess of the carrying amount of the asset group over its fair value. Fair value is generally determined by discounting the cash flows expected to be generated by the assets, when the market prices are not readily available for the long-lived assets. No impairment charge was recognized for each of the three years ended December 31, 2012.

Leases

Leases are classified at the inception date as either a capital lease or an operating lease. We did not enter into any leases whereby it is the lessor for any of the periods presented. As the lessee, a lease is a capital lease if any of the following conditions exists: a) ownership is transferred to the lessee by the end of the lease term, b) there is a bargain purchase option, c) the lease term is at least 75% of the property’s estimated remaining economic life, or d) the present value of the minimum lease payments at the beginning of the lease term is 90% or more of the fair value of the leased property to the lessor at the inception date. A capital lease is accounted for as if there was an acquisition of an asset and an incurrence of an obligation at the inception of the lease. We entered into capital leases for certain fiber optic cables and network equipment in the years ended December 31, 2010, 2011 and 2012.

All other leases are accounted for as operating leases wherein rental payments are expensed on a straight-line basis over the periods of their respective lease terms. We lease office space and employee accommodation under operating lease agreements. Certain lease agreements contain rent holidays and escalating rent. Rent holidays and escalating rent are considered in determining the straight-line rent expense to be recorded over the lease term. The lease term begins on the date of initial possession of the lease property for purposes of recognizing lease expense on a straight-line basis over the term of the lease.

Discontinued Operations

When a component of an entity has been disposed of and we will no longer have significant continuing involvement in the operations of component, such results are classified as discontinued operations in our consolidated statements of operations.

We determined the results of our discontinued operations using a combination of specific identification of revenues and certain costs. When specific determination is not available, we allocate the remaining costs using applicable cost drivers.

Income Taxes

In determining taxable income for financial statement reporting purposes, we must make certain estimates and judgments. These estimates and judgments are applied in the calculation of certain tax liabilities and in the determination of the recoverability of deferred tax assets, which arise from temporary differences between the recognition of assets and liabilities for tax and financial statement reporting purposes.

We must assess the likelihood that we will be able to recover our deferred tax assets. If recovery is not likely, we must increase our provision for taxes by recording a charge to income tax expense, in the form of a valuation allowance, for the deferred tax assets that we estimate will not ultimately be recoverable. We consider past performance, future expected taxable income and prudent and feasible tax planning strategies in determining the need for a valuation allowance.

In addition, the calculation of our tax liabilities involves dealing with uncertainties in the application of complex tax rules and the potential for future adjustment of our uncertain tax positions by the various jurisdictional tax authorities. If our estimates of these taxes are greater or less than actual results, an additional tax benefit or charge will result.

Share-based Compensation

We account for share-based awards issued to employees in accordance with ASC 718, “Compensation—Stock Compensation”. In accordance with the fair value recognition provision of ASC 718, share-based compensation cost is measured at the grant date based on the fair value of the award and is recognized as an expense, net of estimated forfeitures, over the requisite service period, which is generally the vesting period. We recognize compensation expenses using the straight-line method and the accelerated method for the share options granted with service conditions that have a graded vesting schedule and the awards granted with performance conditions, respectively.

We commence recognition of the related compensation expense if it is probable for us to estimate the fulfillment of the performance condition. To the extent that we determine that it is probable that a different number of share-based awards will vest depending on the outcome of the performance condition, the cumulative effect of the change in estimate is recognized in the period of change.

In July 2010, we adopted our 2010 share incentive plan which was subsequently amended on January 14, 2011 and July 6, 2012. Under the amended 2010 share incentive plan, we may grant options and RSUs to purchase up to an aggregate of 39,272,595 of our ordinary shares to our employees, directors and consultants. To date, no share options or RSUs have been issued to our consultants. As of the date of this annual report, we have options to purchase 16,909,914 ordinary shares and 817,722 RSUs granted to our employees, directors and consultants issued and outstanding.

On December 31, 2010, we issued 24,826,090 ordinary shares at par value US$0.00001 per share to Sunrise, a company solely owned by Mr. Sheng Chen, our chairman and chief executive officer, for a total payment of US$248.3 million in recognition of his past services to our company. These ordinary shares are fully vested, nonassessable and not subject to any redemption, repurchase or similar rights. As such, we recorded compensation expenses of RMB206.1 million based on the fair value of our ordinary share of US$1.234 per share at the grant date when the shares were issued to Sunrise. Subsequently, in July 2012, we repurchased 2,686,965 shares from Sunrise at par value, for the purpose of increasing the maximum aggregate number of shares available for grant under the 2010 share incentive plan by the same amount.

Additionally, Mr. Chen may, at a future date, transfer a portion of these shares to existing and former employees of our company at his discretion, although he is under no contractual obligation to do so. Any share-based shareholder contribution, if and when made by Mr. Chen for the benefit of our company, would be recognized as share-based compensation expense in our results of operations, which would be derived from the

estimated fair value of the ordinary share award on the transfer date. Our future results of operations may be materially and adversely affected if a significant amount of share-based compensation is recorded in connection with such future transfers of ordinary shares.

With the assistance of an independent third party valuation firm, we have applied the Black-Scholes option valuation model in determining the fair value of the options granted before September 30, 2011. We estimate expected volatility at the date of grant based on a combination of historical and implied volatilities from comparable publicly listed companies. Forfeiture rate is estimated based on historical forfeiture patterns and adjusted to reflect future change in circumstances and facts, if any.

For share options granted after September 30, 2011, the fair value of each grant is estimated on the date of grant using a binomial-lattice model. Similar to the Black-Scholes option valuation model, the binomial-lattice model takes into account variable such as expected volatility, dividend yield, and risk-free interest rates. Risk-free interest rates are based on zero coupon U.S. risk-free rates for the terms consistent with the expected life of the award at the time of grant. Expected life is computed based on our estimation of exercise patterns which we believe are representative of future behavior. Expected dividend yield is determined based on our historical dividend payout rate.

Recently Issued Accounting Pronouncements

In February 2013, the FASB issued ASU No. 2013-02 (“ASU 2013-02”), Reporting of Amounts Reclassified Out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income, which is intended to improve the reporting of reclassifications out of accumulated other comprehensive income. It does not change the current requirements for reporting net income or other comprehensive income in financial statements. However, the standard requires an entity to provide information about the amounts reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income by component. For public entities, the amendments are effective prospectively for reporting periods beginning after December 15, 2012, with early adoption permitted. The Company will adopt ASU 2013-02 beginning January 1, 2013 and does not expect the adoption to have a material impact on its consolidated financial statements.

Inflation

In the last 3 years, inflation in China has not materially impacted our results of operations. According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, the year-over-year percent increase changes in the consumer price index in China for December 2010, 2011 and 2012 were 4.6%, 4.1% and 2.5%, respectively. Although we have not been materially affected by inflation in the past, we cannot assure you that we will not be affected in the future by higher rates of inflation in China.

Results of Operations

The following table sets forth a summary of our consolidated results of operations for the periods indicated both in absolute amount and as a percentage of our total net revenues. This information should be read together with our consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this annual report. The results of operations in any period are not necessarily indicative of the results you may expect for future periods.


	For the Year Ended December 31,
	2010						2011						2012
	RMB			%			RMB			%			RMB			US$			%
	(in thousands, except percentages)
Consolidated Statements of Operations Data:
Net revenues		525,203			100.0			1,020,929			100.0			1,524,158			244,644			100.0
Hosting and related services		374,946			71.4			614,612			60.2			866,882			139,144			56.9
Managed network services		150,257			28.6			406,317			39.8			657,276			105,500			43.1
Cost of revenues⁽¹⁾		(396,858	)		(75.6	)		(744,371	)		(72.9	)		(1,098,477	)		(176,318	)		(72.1	)

Gross profit		128,345			24.4			276,558			27.1			425,681			68,326			27.9
Operating expenses:
Sales and marketing expenses⁽¹⁾		(51,392	)		(9.8	)		(80,885	)		(7.9	)		(109,871	)		(17,636	)		(7.2	)
General and administrative expenses⁽¹⁾		(282,298	)		(53.7	)		(82,926	)		(8.1	)		(153,512	)		(24,640	)		(10.1	)
Research and development expenses⁽¹⁾		(19,924	)		(3.8	)		(34,657	)		(3.4	)		(63,929	)		(10,261	)		(4.2	)
Changes in the fair value of contingent purchase consideration payable		(7,537	)		(1.4	)		(63,185	)		(6.2	)		(17,430	)		(2,798	)		(1.1	)

Operating profit (loss)		(232,806	)		(44.3	)		14,905			1.5			80,939			12,991			5.3
Interest income		580			0.1			14,939			1.5			16,301			2,616			1.1
Interest expense		(2,793	)		(0.5	)		(4,398	)		(0.4	)		(11,376	)		(1,826	)		(0.7	)
Other income		1,152			0.2			1,943			0.2			11,616			1,864			0.8
Other expense		(906	)		(0.2	)		(520	)		(0.1	)		(2,167	)		(348	)		(0.1	)
Loss from equity method investment		—			—			—			—			(1,101	)		(177	)		(0.0	)
Foreign exchange gain (loss)		1,646			0.3			32,747			3.2			(397	)		(64	)		(0.0	)

Profit/(loss) from continuing operations before income taxes		(233,127	)		(44.4	)		59,616			5.8			93,815			15,056			6.2
Income tax (expense) benefit		(1,588	)		(0.3	)		(13,677	)		(1.3	)		(36,159	)		(5,804	)		(2.4	)

Net profit (loss) from continuing operations		(234,715	)		(44.7	)		45,939			4.5			57,656			9,252			3.8
Loss from discontinued operations		(12,952	)		(2.5	)		—			—			—			—			—

Net profit (loss)		(247,667	)		(47.2	)		45,939			4.5			57,656			9,252			3.8
Net income attributable to non-controlling interest		(7,722	)		(1.5	)		(27,495	)		(2.7	)		(1,332	)		(214	)		(0.1	)

Net profit (loss) attributable to the Company’s ordinary shareholders		(255,389	)		(48.7	)		18,444			1.8			56,324			9,038			3.7


	For the Year Ended December 31,
	2010		2011	2012
	RMB		RMB	RMB		US$
	(in thousands)
Non-GAAP Financial Data:⁽²⁾
Adjusted gross profit		141,990	307,103		457,381		73,414
Adjusted net profit		59,454	169,993		167,287		26,849
Adjusted EBITDA		83,657	209,026		294,165		47,216

(1)	Includes share-based compensation expense as follows:


	2010		2011		2012
	RMB		RMB		RMB		US$
	(in thousands)
Allocation of share-based compensation expenses:
Cost of revenues		4,645		2,157		4,517		725
Sales and marketing expenses		11,884		5,763		10,508		1,687
General and administrative expenses		254,936		31,420		47,749		7,664
Research and development expenses		6,416		2,619		4,858		780

Total share-based compensation expenses		277,881		41,959		67,632		10,856

(2)	For discussions and reconciliations of these non-GAAP measures to net loss, see “Item 3. Key Information—A. Selected Financial Data—Non-GAAP Financial Measures”

Year Ended December 31, 2012 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2011

Net Revenues

Our net revenues increased by 49.3% from RMB1.0 billion in 2011 to RMB1.5 billion (US$244.6 million) in 2012. This increase was due to the growth of both our hosting and related service business and our managed network services business. The average monthly recurring revenues increased by 52.7% to RMB125.2 million (US$20.0 million) in 2012 from RMB82.0 million in 2011.

Revenues from our hosting and related services amounted to RMB866.9 million (US$139.1 million) in 2012, increasing by 41.0% from RMB614.6 million in 2011. The increase in revenues from our hosting and related services was primarily a result of the increase in the total number of cabinets under our management in both our self-built and partnered data centers, which was attributable to growing customer demand. The number of cabinets under our management increased from 7,816 as of December 31, 2011 to 11,917 as of December 31, 2012, while our pricing points remained relatively stable. The increase of our hosting and related services revenues in this period was also a result of the significant growth in sales to existing customers, driven by an increased demand for our hosting and related services.

Revenues from our managed network services amounted to RMB657.3 million (US$105.5 million) in 2012, increasing by 61.8% from RMB406.3 million in 2011. As a percentage to our total net revenues, revenues from our managed network services increased from 39.8% in 2011 to 43.1% in 2012. The increase in revenues from managed network services was primarily due to successful integration with the business of the Managed Network Entities and Gehua and also driven by an increase in network capacity demand for data transmission services.

Cost of Revenues

Our cost of revenues increased by 47.6% from RMB744.4 million in 2011 to RMB1,098.5 (US$176.3 million) million in 2012. Our telecommunication costs increased by 47.8% from RMB600.3 million in 2011 to

RMB887.2 million (US$142.4 million) in 2012. This increase was primarily due to the consolidation of the results of operations of Gehua and Fastweb as well as a general overall increase in our telecommunication costs. Additionally, amortization expense of intangible assets derived from acquisitions recorded within cost of revenue were RMB27.2 million (US$4.4 million) in 2012, compared to RMB28.4 million in 2011.

We expect that our cost of revenues will increase as our business expands, both organically and as a result of acquisitions. Additionally, we anticipate recording significant expenses related to the amortization of the intangible assets related to the acquisition of the intangible assets of the Managed Network Entities, Gehua and Fastweb as these intangible assets are amortized over their remaining useful lives.

Gross Profit

Our gross profit increased by 53.9% from RMB276.6 million in 2011 to RMB425.7 million (US$68.3 million) in 2012. Our gross profit as a percentage of net revenues, or gross margin, increased from 27.1% in 2011 to 27.9% in 2012. The increase in gross margin was primarily due to continued revenue mix shift towards a higher percentage of self-built data centers, which carry slightly higher gross margins relative to partnered data centers.

Operating Expenses

Our operating expenses increased by 31.8% from RMB261.7 million in 2011 to RMB344.7 million (US$55.3 million) in 2012. However, as a percentage of net revenues, our operating expenses decreased from 25.6% in 2011 to 22.6% in 2012. The increase of our operating expenses was primarily due to an increase in share-based compensation expenses. Our share-based compensation expenses were RMB63.1 million (US$10.1 million) in 2012, mainly due to an increase in the headcount of our operating staff, while our share-based compensation expenses in 2011 were RMB39.8 million.

Sales and Marketing Expenses. Our sales and marketing expenses increased by 35.8% from RMB80.9 million in 2011 to RMB109.9 million (US$17.6 million) in 2012, primarily due to expansion of our sales and service support team. As a percentage of net revenues, our sales and marketing expenses decreased from 7.9% in 2011 to 7.2% in 2012.

General and Administrative Expenses. Our general and administrative expenses increased from RMB 82.9 million in 2011 to RMB153.5 million (US$24.6 million) in 2012, primarily due to an increase in headcount, office rentals and other expansion related expenses. As a percentage of net revenues, our general and administrative expenses increased from 8.1% in 2011 to 10.1% in 2012.

Research and Development Expenses. Our research and development expenses increased by 84.5% from RMB34.7 million in 2011 to RMB63.9 million (US$10.3 million) in 2012. The increase reflected the Company’s efforts to further strengthen its research and development capabilities and expand and improve its computing service offerings. As a percentage of net revenues, our research and development expenses increased from 3.4% in 2011 to 4.2% in 2012.

Changes in the Fair Value of Contingent Purchase Consideration Payable. We recorded an increase in the fair value of contingent purchase consideration payable in the amount of RMB17.4 million (US$2.8 million) in 2012 in connection with our acquisitions of the Managed Network Entities, Gehua and Fastweb, which was primarily due to an increase in the fair value of estimated contingent cash and share considerations during this period.

Interest Income

Our interest income slightly increased from RMB14.9 million in 2011 to RMB16.3 million (US$2.6 million) in 2012.

Interest Expense

Our interest expense substantially increased from RMB4.4 million in 2011 to RMB11.4 million (US$1.8 million) in 2012, primarily due to an increase in bank loans.

Other Income

Our other income substantially increased from RMB1.9 million in 2011 to RMB11.6 million (US$1.9 million) in 2012. Other income in 2011 was primarily attributable to a government grant of RMB1.2 million. Other income in 2012 was primarily attributable to a bargain purchase gain related to the acquisition of 21V Xi’an.

Other Expenses

Our other expenses increased from RMB0.5 million in 2011 to RMB2.2 million (US$0.3 million) in 2012, primarily due to the loss attributable to the disposal of certain of our equipment, such as servers and entry securities systems.

Foreign Exchange Gain (loss)

We recorded to a foreign exchange loss of RMB0.4 million (US$0.1 million) in 2012, compared to a foreign exchange gain of RMB32.7 million in 2011, primarily due to slight depreciation of U.S. dollar relative to the Renminbi during the period for the Renminbi-denominated assets held by our offshore holding companies whose functional currency is U.S. dollar.

Income Tax Expense Benefit

Our income tax expense amounted to RMB36.2 million (US$5.8 million) in 2012, as compared to income tax expense amounting to RMB13.7 million in 2011, primarily due to the increase of taxable income for our PRC subsidiaries and consolidated affiliated entities.

Net Profit

As a result of the above, our net profit increased from RMB45.9 million in 2011 to RMB57.7 million (US$9.3 million) in 2012.

Year Ended December 31, 2011 Compared to Year Ended December 31, 2010

Net Revenues

Our net revenues increased by 94.4% from RMB525.2 million in 2010 to RMB1.0 billion in 2011. This increase was due to the growth of both our hosting and related service business and our managed network services business. The average monthly recurring revenues increased by 95.7% to RMB82.0 million in 2011 from RMB41.9 million in 2010.

Revenues from our hosting and related services amounted to RMB614.6 million in 2011, increasing by 63.9% from RMB374.9 million in 2010. The increase in revenues from our hosting and related services was primarily a result of the increase in the total number of cabinets under our management in both our self-built and partnered data centers, which was attributable to growing customer demand. The number of cabinets under our management increased from 5,750 as of December 31, 2010 to 7,816 as of December 31, 2011, while our pricing points remained relatively stable. The increase of our hosting and related services revenues in this period was also a result of the significant growth in sales to existing customers, driven by an increased demand for our hosting and related services.

Revenues from our managed network services amounted to RMB406.3 million in 2011, increasing by 170.4% from RMB150.3 million in 2010. As a percentage to our total net revenues, revenues from our managed network services increased from 28.6% in 2010 to 39.8% in 2011. The increase in revenues from managed network services was primarily due to successful integration with the business of the Managed Network Entities after acquiring 51% equity interests in the Managed Network Entities in September 2010 and the business of Gehua in October 2011 and also driven by an increase in network capacity demand for data transmission services. We started to recognize revenues from Gehua in the fourth quarter of 2011, and recognized RMB21.5 million during the quarter. We also recognized net revenue of RMB270.9 million from the Managed Network Entities in 2011.

Cost of Revenues

Our cost of revenues increased by 87.6% from RMB396.9 million in 2010 to RMB744.4 million in 2011. Our telecommunication costs increased by 86.0% from RMB322.7 million in 2010 to RMB600.3 million in 2011. This increase was primarily due to the consolidation of the results of operations of the Managed Network Entities and Gehua as well as a general overall increase in our telecommunication costs. Additionally, amortization expense of intangible assets derived from acquisitions recorded within cost of revenue were RMB28.4 million in 2011, compared to RMB9.0 million in 2010.

Gross Profit

Our gross profit increased by 115.5% from RMB128.3 million in 2010 to RMB276.6 million in 2011. Our gross profit as a percentage of net revenues, or gross margin, increased from 24.4% in 2010 to 27.1% in 2011. The increase in gross margin was primarily due to continued revenue mix shift towards a higher percentage of self-built data centers, which carry slightly higher gross margins relative to partnered data centers.

Operating Expenses

Our operating expenses decreased by 27.6% from RMB361.2 million in 2010 to RMB261.7 million in 2011. As a percentage of net revenues, our operating expenses decreased from 68.7% in 2010 to 25.6% in 2011. This decrease was primarily due to the substantial decrease of RMB206.1 million in share-based compensation expenses incurred for the one-time share issuance to Sunrise. Our share-based compensation expenses were RMB273.2 million in 2010, mainly due to the issuance of ordinary shares to Sunrise as well as accelerated vesting schedules of some grants under our amended 2010 share incentive plan in 2010, while our share-based compensation expenses were RMB39.8 million in 2011.

Sales and Marketing Expenses. Our sales and marketing expenses increased by 57.4% from RMB51.4 million in 2010 to RMB80.9 million in 2011, primarily due to expansion of our sales and service support team. As a percentage of net revenues, our sales and marketing expenses decreased from 9.8% in 2010 to 7.9% in 2011.

General and Administrative Expenses. Our general and administrative expenses decreased substantially from RMB282.3 million in 2010 to RMB82.9 million in 2011, primarily due to a decrease of RMB223.5 million in share-based compensation expenses incurred for the one-time share issuance to Sunrise. As a percentage of net revenues, our general and administrative expenses decreased from 53.7% in 2010 to 8.1% in 2011.

Research and Development Expenses. Our research and development expenses increased by 73.9% from RMB19.9 million in 2010 to RMB34.7 million in 2011. The increase reflected the Company’s efforts to further strengthen its research and development capabilities and expand and improve its service offerings. Despite the increase in research and development expenses, our total net revenues also increased substantially from RMB525.2 million in 2010 to RMB1.0 billion in 2011, as a result, our research and development expenses as a percentage of total net revenues decreased from 3.8% in 2010 to 3.4% in 2011.

Changes in the Fair Value of Contingent Purchase Consideration Payable. We recorded an increase in the fair value of contingent purchase consideration payable in connection with our acquisition of the original 51% and the remaining 49% equity interests in the Managed Network Entities and the acquisition of Gehua in the amount of RMB63.2 million in 2011, which was primarily due to the increase in fair value of estimated contingent cash and share considerations during this period.

Interest Income

Our interest income increased substantially from RMB0.6 million in 2010 to RMB14.9 million in 2011, primarily due to significant increase interest generating cash and cash equivalents and short term investments balances which were derived directly from the cash proceeds from the Company’s initial public offering in April 2011.

Interest Expense

Our interest expense increased from RMB2.8 million in 2010 to RMB4.4 million in 2011, primarily due to an increase in bank loan.

Other Income

Our other income in 2011 was approximately RMB1.9 million, compared to RMB1.2 million in 2010. Other income in 2010 was primarily attributable to the services fee charged to related parties of RMB0.6 million. Other income in 2011 was primarily attributable to a government grant of RMB1.2 million. Such government grant was for general purposes and therefore was recorded as an non-operating item.

Other Expenses

Our other expenses were approximately RMB0.5 million in 2011, a 42.6% decrease from RMB0.9 million in 2010. Other expenses in both periods were primarily due to the loss attributable to the disposal of certain of our equipment, such as servers and entry securities systems.

Foreign Exchange Gain

We had a foreign exchange gain of RMB32.7 million in 2011, which increased significantly from RMB1.6 million in 2010, primarily due to the depreciation of the U.S. dollar relative to the Renminbi for the Renminbi denominated cash and short-term investments we held on the Company, whose functional currency is U.S. dollar.

Income Tax Expense Benefit

Our income tax expense amounted to RMB13.7 million in 2011, as compared to income tax expense amounting to RMB1.6 million in 2010, primarily due to the increase of taxable income for our PRC subsidiaries and consolidated affiliated entities.

Net Profit/(Loss) from Continuing Operations

We recorded a net profit of RMB45.9 million in 2011, as compared to a net loss of RMB234.7 million in 2010, primarily due to a decrease in share-based compensation expenses recorded in 2011.

Discontinued Operations

We did not dispose any operations during fiscal year 2011, while we incurred a loss of RMB13.0 million during our fiscal year 2010 in relation to the disposal of certain discontinued operations in March 2011.

Net Loss

As a result of the above, we recorded a net profit of RMB45.9 million in 2011, as compared to a net loss of RMB247.7 million in 2010.

B. Liquidity and Capital Resources

As of December 31, 2012, we had RMB432.3 million (US$69.4 million) in cash and cash equivalents, RMB413.4 million (US$66.4 million) in restricted cash (current and non-current portion) and RMB222.7 million (US$35.7 million) in short-term investments.

As of December 31, 2012, we had short-term bank borrowings and long-term bank borrowings (current portions) from various commercial banks with an aggregate outstanding balance of RMB344.8 million (US$55.4 million), and long-term bank borrowings (excluding current portions) from Xiamen International Bank with an aggregate outstanding balance of RMB63.0 million (US$10.1 million). The short-term bank borrowings bore average interest rates of 6.40%,6.76% and 7.66% per annum, respectively, in 2010, 2011 and 2012. Our short-term bank borrowings have maturity terms of six months to one year and expire at various times throughout the year, while our long-term bank borrowings have a maturity term of around three years. There are no material covenants or restrictions on us associated with these outstanding short-term borrowings.

Except as disclosed in this annual report, we have no outstanding bank loans or financial guarantees or similar commitments to guarantee the payment obligations of third parties. We believe that our current cash and cash equivalents, our cash flow from operations and proceeds from our financing activities will be sufficient to meet our anticipated cash needs, including our cash needs for working capital and capital expenditures, for the foreseeable future. If we have additional liquidity needs in the future, we may obtain additional financing, including equity offering and debt financing in capital markets, to meet such needs.

Cash transfers from our PRC subsidiaries to our subsidiaries outside of China are subject to PRC government control of currency conversion. Restrictions on the availability of foreign currency may affect the ability of our PRC subsidiaries and consolidated variable interest entities to remit sufficient foreign currency to pay dividends or other payments to us, or otherwise satisfy their foreign currency denominated obligations. See “Item 3. Key Information D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—Governmental control of currency conversion may limit our ability to utilize our revenues.”

The following table sets forth a summary of our cash flows for the periods indicated:


	For the Year Ended December 31,
	2010			2011			2012
	RMB			RMB			RMB			US$
	(in thousands)
Net cash generated from operating activities		81,372			166,135			173,923			27,917
Net cash used in investing activities		(616	)		(1,268,054	)		(175,670	)		(28,197	)
Net cash (used in) generated from financing activities		(69,498	)		1,443,947			23,952			3,844
Effect on foreign exchange rate changes on cash and short-term investments		—			(14,895	)		(340	)		(55	)
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents		11,258			327,133			21,865			3,509
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of the year		71,998			83,256			410,389			65,873
Cash and cash equivalents at end of the year		83,256			410,389			432,254			69,382
Cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and short-term investments at the end of the year		87,697			1,309,507			1,068,349			171,483

Operating Activities

Net cash generated from operating activities was RMB173.9 million (US$27.9 million) in 2012, compared to net cash generated from operating activities of RMB166.1 million in 2011.

Net cash generated from operating activities in 2012 primarily resulted from payments of RMB1.4 billion (US$222.7 million) received from our customers, partially offset by our payments for telecommunication costs of RMB887.2 million (US$142.4 million), taxes paid of RMB147.4 million (US$23.7 million) and employee salaries and welfare payments of RMB144.1 million (US$23.1 million).

Net cash generated from operating activities was RMB166.1 million in 2011, as compared to net cash generated from operating activities of RMB81.4 million in 2010.

Net cash generated from operating activities in 2011 primarily resulted from payments of RMB960.4 million received from our customers, partially offset by our payments for telecommunication costs of RMB589.7 million, taxes paid of RMB69.1 million and employee salaries and welfare payments of RMB88.7 million. Our accounts receivable increased from RMB76.4 million as of December 31, 2010 to RMB147.6 million as of December 31, 2011, primarily due to the increase of our revenues from our operations during the same period.

Investing Activities

Net cash used in investing activities was RMB175.7 million (US$28.2 million) in 2012, as compared to net cash used in investing activities of RMB1,268.1 million in 2011. Net cash used in investing activities in 2012 is primarily related to our purchase of property and equipment in the amount of RMB446.7 million (US$71.7 million), our payments for short-term investments in the amount of RMB267.4 million (US$42.9 million), our purchase of intangible assets in the amount of RMB133.9 million (US$21.5 million), payments for acquisitions, net of cash acquired, in the amount of RMB67.1 million (US$10.8 million), restricted cash in the amount of RMB121.6 million (US$19.5 million), partially offset by proceeds received from maturity of short-term investments in the amount of RMB939.3 million (US$150.8 million).

Net cash used in investing activities was RMB1,268.1 million in 2011, as compared to net cash used in investing activities of RMB0.6 million in 2010. Net cash used in investing activities in 2011 is primarily related to our payments for short-term investments in the amount of RMB1,650.3 million, our purchase of property and equipment in the amount of RMB255.8 million, acquisition of building and assets, net of cash acquired in the amount of RMB107.7 million, partially offset by proceeds received from maturity of short-term investments in the amount of RMB747.1 million and proceeds from disposal of property and equipment in the amount of RMB7.6 million.

Financing Activities

Net cash generated from financing activities was RMB24.0 million (US$3.8 million) in 2012, as compared to net cash generated from financing activities amounting to RMB1,443.9 million in 2011. Net cash generated from financing activities in 2012 primarily related to proceeds from long-term bank borrowings in the amount of RMB231.9 million (US$37.2 million), proceeds from short-term bank borrowings in the amount of RMB177.0 million (US$28.4 million), partially offset by deposits of restricted cash in the amount of RMB287.2 million (US$46.1 million) and repayment of short-term bank borrowings in the amount of RMB100.0 million (US$16.1 million).

Net cash generated from financing activities was RMB1,443.9 million in 2011, as compared to net cash used in financing activities amounting to RMB69.5 million in 2010. Net cash generated from financing activities in 2011 primarily related to proceeds from issuance of 89,700,000 Class A ordinary shares upon the sale of 14,950,000 ADSs in our initial public offering in the amount of RMB1,332.9 million.

Capital Expenditures

We had capital expenditures relating to the addition of property and equipment of RMB150.0 million, RMB292.8 million and RMB602.3 million (US$96.7 million) in 2010, 2011 and 2012, respectively, representing

28.6%, 28.7% and 39.5%, respectively of our total net revenues. Our capital expenditures were primarily for the capital lease or purchase of electronic equipment and optic fibers for our business. Our capital expenditures have been primarily funded by net cash provided by financing activities and cash generated from our operations. We estimate that our capital expenditures in 2013 will be approximately RMB600 million, which will be primarily used to build self-built data centers and to purchase network equipment, servers and other equipment to expand our business. We plan to fund the balance of our capital expenditure requirements for 2013 with cash from the proceeds from overseas offerings, operations and additional bank borrowings, if available.

Holding Company Structure

We are a holding company with no material operations of our own. We conduct our operations primarily through our PRC subsidiaries and consolidated affiliated entities in China. As a result, our ability to pay dividends and to finance any debt we may incur depends upon dividends paid by our subsidiaries. If our subsidiaries or any newly formed subsidiaries incur debt on their own behalf in the future, the instruments governing their debt may restrict their ability to pay dividends to us. In addition, our subsidiaries are permitted to pay dividends to us only out of their retained earnings, if any, as determined in accordance with PRC accounting standards and regulations. Under PRC law, our PRC subsidiaries and consolidated affiliated entities are required to set aside a portion of their after-tax profits each year to fund a statutory reserve and to further set aside a portion of its after-tax profits to fund the employee welfare fund at the discretion of the board or the enterprise itself. Although the statutory reserves can be used, among other ways, to increase the registered capital and eliminate future losses in excess of retained earnings of the respective companies, the reserve funds are not distributable as cash dividends except in the event of liquidation of these subsidiaries.

C. Research and Development, Patents and Licenses, etc.

Research and Development

Our strong research and development capabilities support and enhance our service offerings. We believe that we have one of the most experienced research and development teams in the internet infrastructure sector in China. We devote significant resources to our research and development efforts, focusing on improving customer experience, increasing operational efficiency and bringing innovative solutions to the market quickly. Our research and development team consisted of 132 engineers as of December 31, 2012, or 11.89% of our work force. Many of our engineers have more than 10 years of relevant industry experience. In 2010, 2011 and 2012, our research and development expense were RMB19.9 million, RMB34.7 million and RMB63.9 million (US$10.3 million), respectively.

Consistent with our strong innovation culture, we devote significant resources to the research and development of our container-based data centers, our smart routing technology and other innovations. We plan to strengthen our research and development in cloud computing infrastructure service technologies. Our research and development efforts have yielded twelve patents, seven patent applications and three software copyright registrations, all in China and related to different aspects of data center services. We intend to continue to devote a significant amount of time and resources to carry out our research and development efforts.

Intellectual Property

We rely on a combination of copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret and other intellectual property laws, nondisclosure agreements and other protective measures to protect our intellectual property rights. We generally control access to, and use of, our proprietary software and other confidential information through the use of internal and external controls, including physical and electronic security, contractual protections, and intellectual property law. We have implemented a strict security and information technology management system, including the prohibition of copying and transferring of codes. We educate our staff on the need to, and require them to, comply with such security procedures. We also promote protection through contractual prohibitions, such as requiring our employees to enter into confidentiality and non-compete agreements.

D. Trend Information

Other than as disclosed elsewhere in this annual report, we are not aware of any trends, uncertainties, demands, commitments or events for the year ended December 31, 2012 that are reasonably likely to have a material adverse effect on our net revenues, income, profitability, liquidity or capital resources, or that caused the disclosed financial information to be not necessarily indicative of future results of operations or financial conditions.

E. Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We have not entered into any financial guarantees or other commitments to guarantee the payment obligations of any third parties. We have not entered into any derivative contracts that are indexed to our shares and classified as shareholder’s equity, or that are not reflected in our consolidated financial statements. Furthermore, we do not have any retained or contingent interest in assets transferred to an unconsolidated entity that serves as credit, liquidity or market risk support to such entity. Moreover, we do not have any variable interest in any unconsolidated entity that provides financing, liquidity, market risk or credit support to us or engages in leasing, hedging or research and development services with us.

F. Tabular Disclosure of Contractual Obligations

The following table sets forth our contractual obligations and commercial commitments as of December 31, 2012:


	Payment Due by Period
	Total		Less than 1 year		1-3 years		3-5 years		More than 5 years
	(in thousands of RMB)
Short-term borrowings ⁽¹⁾		176,961		176,961		—		—		—
Long-term borrowings ⁽²⁾		230,879		167,879		63,000		—		—
Operating lease obligations ⁽³⁾		681,791		83,377		161,437		150,602		286,375
Purchase commitments ⁽⁴⁾		916,026		747,044		110,934		9,824		48,224
Capital lease obligations ⁽⁵⁾		89,071		36,719		51,370		982		—
Investment commitments ⁽⁶⁾		50,500		50,500		—		—		—
Total		2,145,228		1,262,480		386,741		161,408		334,599

Notes:

(1)

As of December 31, 2012, our short-term bank borrowings bore a weighted average interest rate of 7.66% and have maturity terms of six months to one year. Our unused short-term and long-term bank borrowing facilities amounted to RMB59.2 million (US$9.5 million). We have pledged buildings amounting to RMB19.4 million (US$3.1 million) and computer and network equipment with the net book value of RMB46.3 million (US$7.4 million) for our bank borrowings. Mr. Sheng Chen, our chairman and chief executive officer and Mr. Jun Zhang, our chief operating officer, also provided personal guarantees to bank borrowings of RMB80.0 million (US$12.8 million) together.

(2)	The long-term bank borrowings (including the current portions) outstanding as of December 31, 2012 bear an average interest rate of 8.35% per annum, and are denominated in Renminbi. These loans were obtained from financial institutions located in the PRC.

(3)	Operating lease obligations are primarily related to the lease of office and data center space.

(4)

As of December 31, 2012, we had commitments of approximately RMB150.1 million (US$24.1 million) related to acquisition of machinery, equipment and construction in progress. In addition, we had outstanding purchase commitments in relation to bandwidth and cabinet capacity of RMB765.9 million (US$122.9 million).

(5)	Related to capital leases for electronic equipment and optic fibers.

(6)	As of December 31, 2012, we had commitments to pay for the second tranche of investment of an amount of RMB50.5 million for our investment in Yizhuang Venture Investment Fund upon written notice by the fund.

G. Safe Harbor

This annual report on Form 20-F contains forward-looking statements. These statements are made under the “safe harbor” provisions of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as “will,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “future,” “intends,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimates,” “may,” “intend,” “is currently reviewing,” “it is possible,” “subject to” and similar statements. Among other things, the sections titled “Item 3. Key Information—Risk Factors,” “Item 4. Information on the Company,” and “Item 5. Operating and Financial Review and Prospects” in this annual report on Form 20-F, as well as our strategic and operational plans, contain forward-looking statements. We may also make written or oral forward-looking statements in our reports filed with or furnished to the SEC, in our annual report to shareholders, in press releases and other written materials and in oral statements made by our officers, directors or employees to third parties. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about our beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements and are subject to change, and such change may be material and may have a material adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations for one or more prior periods. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties. A number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained, either expressly or impliedly, in any of the forward-looking statements in this annual report on Form 20-F. Potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, a further slowdown in the growth of China’s economy, government measures that may adversely and materially affect our business, failure of the wealth management services industry in China to develop or mature as quickly as expected, diminution of the value of our brand or image due to our failure to satisfy customer needs and/or other reasons, our inability to successfully execute the strategy of expanding into new geographical markets in China, our failure to manage growth, and other risks outlined in our filings with the SEC. All information provided in this annual report on Form 20-F and in the exhibits is as of the date of this annual report on Form 20-F, and we do not undertake any obligation to update any such information, except as required under applicable law.

ITEM 6.

DIRECTORS, SENIOR MANAGEMENT AND EMPLOYEES

A. Directors and Senior Management

The following table sets forth information regarding our directors and executive officers as of the date of this annual report.


Directors and Executive Officers	Age		Position/Title
Sheng Chen		44	Chairman of the Board of Directors, Chief Executive Officer
Jun Zhang		44	Director, Chief Operating Officer
Yoshihisa Ueno		50	Director
Hongwei Jenny Lee		40	Director
Terry Wang		53	Director
Kenneth Chung-Hou Tai		62	Director
Shang-Wen Hsiao		51	President and Chief Financial Officer
Philip Lin		45	Executive Vice President of Strategic & Business Development
Feng Xiao		41	Senior Vice President of Hosting Services
Ningning Lai		36	Senior Vice President of Network Services
Edward Liu		51	Chief Software Officer

Mr. Sheng Chen is one of our co-founders and has served as the chairman of our board of directors and our chief executive officer since our inception. Mr. Chen has been instrumental to the development and success of our business. Mr. Chen provides vision, overall management, and strategic decision-making relating to marketing, investment planning, and corporate development. Mr. Chen has more than 20 years’ experience in the internet infrastructure industry in China and started his entrepreneur career in 1990 when he was a sophomore at Tsinghua University. In 1999, Mr. Chen founded our business and started the first carrier-neutral data center in China. In 1989, Mr. Chen founded Beijing Taixing Data Engineering Co., Ltd. and in 1991, founded A-1 Netcom Inc., one of the pioneers in the ISP industry in China. Mr. Chen received his bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Tsinghua University in 1991. Mr. Chen is a member of the Tsinghua Entrepreneur & Executive Club and a managing director of the Internet Society of China.

Mr. Jun Zhang is one of our co-founders and has served as our chief operating officer since June 1999 and our director since October 2012. From 1996 to 1999, Mr. Zhang served as vice president of Cenpok Inc., which sold its core operating assets to A-1 Netcom China Inc. in 1999. Mr. Zhang has been instrumental to the development and success of our business. Mr. Zhang received his bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering from Tsinghua University.

Mr. Yoshihisa Ueno has served as our director since October 2010. Our board of directors has determined that Mr. Ueno satisfies the independence standards under Rule 5605 of NASDAQ Stock Market Rules. Mr. Ueno is a serial entrepreneur & venture capitalist with operation & industrial expertise in the US, Europe, Japan and China and over 28 years of incubation investment experience in emerging technology startups. Mr. Ueno has been our lead investor and board member of several of our affiliated companies since 2006. Mr. Ueno has been the founding partner of Synapse Partners Limited since December 2002 and SMC Synapse Partners Limited from December 2010. Mr. Ueno has also been a director of several start-up portfolios such as Biomass Energy Corporation since June 2012, Insource (HK) Ltd. from December 2011, TransVirtual K.K. from August 2008 etc. Mr. Ueno has also served as director of BeyondSoft Group Holding Limited (SZSE: 2649) from September 2005 to May 2010, and CDS GS Japan Ltd. (a joint venture with CDC Corp. NASDAQ:CHINA) from June 2011 to April 2012. Mr. Ueno has managed several venture funds such as the Japan-China Bridge Fund from March 2005 to February 2011, Intellectual Property Bank (IPB) Partners Fund #1 in Japan from March 2006 to March 2010 and IPB Holding LLC in the United States from March 2006 to July 2007. Mr. Ueno also served as the chief executive officer at Cycolor, Inc., in the US from September 1998 to June 2003, until Cycolor was acquired by Eastman Kodak in early 2003. Mr. Ueno worked for Fujitec from April 1985 to May 1997 in various managerial capacities in Japan, China, the United Kingdom, Spain and Hong Kong. Mr. Ueno received his bachelor’s degree in business administration from Takushoku University.

Ms. Hongwei Jenny Lee has served as our director since October 2010. Our board of directors has determined Ms. Lee satisfies the independence standards under Rule 5605 of NASDAQ Stock Market Rules. Ms. Lee is currently a director of Pactera Technology International Ltd., a leading China-based provider of outsourced information technology and research and development services listed on the NASDAQ Global Market. She also currently serves as a managing director of Granite Global Ventures III L.L.C. and as a general partner of Granite Global Ventures III L.P. and of GGV III Entrepreneurs Fund L.P. From 2002 to 2005, she served as a vice president of JAFCO Asia. From 2001 to 2002, she worked as an investment banker with Morgan Stanley. Prior to that, Ms. Lee worked as an assistant principal engineer with Singapore Technologies Aerospace Group from 1995 to 2000. Ms. Lee received her bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and master’s degree in engineering from Cornell University. Ms. Lee also has an MBA degree from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Mr. Terry Wang has served as our independent director since April 2011. Mr. Wang has over 20 years of extensive experience in international financial service industry and management experience in technology, manufacturing industries and capital markets. Mr. Wang has been the chief financial officer since 2008 at Trina Solar Ltd., a company listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Prior to joining Trina Solar Ltd., Mr. Wang served as the executive vice president of finance of Spreadtrum Communications, Inc., a wireless and fabless

semiconductor company listed on NASDAQ, from 2004 to 2007. Before that, Mr. Wang served as the chief financial officer of a silicon valley-based technology company and controller at one of the largest NASDAQ-listed semiconductor assembly and testing companies. Before that time, he worked for several years in capital market and service industries. Mr. Wang is a certified management accountant (CMA) and is certified in financial management (CFM). Mr. Wang received an MBA from University of Wisconsin and master of science degrees from Brown University and Fudan University. Mr. Wang received his bachelor’s degree in science from Fudan University.

Mr. Kenneth Chung-Hou Tai has served as our independent director since October 2012. Mr. Tai is a prominent figure in the Taiwanese technology sector with over 35 years of industry experience with leading technology and hardware companies in Taiwan and the United States. Mr. Tai co-founded Acer Group in 1976, which has become one of the top five branded PC vendors in the world today, and held various managerial positions during his tenure. Later in his technology career, Mr. Tai also founded Investar Capital, a venture capital firm focusing on IT companies. Mr. Tai is now serving as chairman of Richtek Technology Corp, a world-leading power management IC design house listed on Taiwan Stock Exchange, and chairman of Digital Times, the only technology-focused newspaper in Taiwan. Currently, Mr. Tai serves on the board of directors for several public companies in Taiwan and Singapore, including D-Link Corporation, Fullerton Technology, Ares International Corporation, Global Testing Corporation, Capella Microsystem Incorporated, and Wafer Works Corporation. Mr. Tai received a master’s degree in business administration from Tam Kang University and a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from National Chiao Tung University in Taiwan.

Mr. Shang-Wen Hsiao has served as our president and chief financial officer since June 2010. Previously, Mr. Hsiao served as the chief financial officer of Greatdreams (China), Inc. from June 2008 to June 2010. Prior to that, Mr. Hsiao served as the chief financial officer of Memsic Inc. (NASDAQ: MEMS) from July 2007 to June 2008. Mr. Hsiao is currently an independent director of Camelot Information Systems Inc. (NYSE: CIS), a leading provider of enterprise application services and financial industry IT services in China listed on the New York Stock Exchange. Mr. Hsiao also served as the chief executive officer and chief financial officer of Centuryfone 121 Networking and Communication Co. from September 2003 to May 2007. From July 2000 to September 2003, Mr. Hsiao served as the chief financial officer of YesKey Group. From January 1994 to July 2000, Mr. Hsiao was a senior manager of business, tax and legal advisory for Arthur Andersen LLP in Philadelphia and Shanghai. Mr. Hsiao received his juris doctor degree from Rutgers School of Law in 1994 and his bachelor’s degree in finance and accounting from Temple University in 1989. Mr. Hsiao has been a certified public accountant since 1989 and was admitted to the Pennsylvania Bar in 1994.

Mr. Philip Lin has served as our executive vice president of strategy and business development since April 2011. Prior to joining us, Mr. Lin held executive positions at various internet and telecom related companies operating in China and the United States. Mr. Lin also served as an executive at Kluge & Company, where he invested in telecom and internet related private equity deals on behalf of John Kluge and Metromedia Company. Mr. Lin received an undergraduate degree from Cornell University and an MBA from Columbia University.

Mr. Feng Xiao has served as our senior vice president of hosting and related services since January 2009. Mr. Xiao has served in various roles since joining us in 1996 as a sales manager. From May 1998 to December 2002, Mr. Xiao was the senior manager of the marketing department; from January 2003 to December 2005, Mr. Xiao was a director of sales; from January 2006 to December 2007, Mr. Xiao was the deputy general manager of our company; and from January 2008 to December 2008, Mr. Xiao was the general manager of North China Region and vice president. Prior to joining us, Mr. Xiao was a planning manager of HeDe Group Company. Mr. Xiao graduated from Capital University of Economics and Business in 1995, and received his MBA at China Europe International Business School in 2011.

Mr. Ningning Lai has served as our senior vice president of network services since October 2007. Mr. Lai joined us as a network engineer in March 2000 and has served in many roles. From April 2001 to

September 2004, Mr. Lai was the manager of the network operation department; from October 2004 to June 2005, Mr. Lai was a senior business development manager for our network business; and from July 2005 to July 2006, Mr. Lai was the senior manager of technical support center before being promoted to serve as the director of our technical support center from August 2006 to September 2007. Prior to joining us, Mr. Lai worked for Capital Information Development Co. Ltd. from July 1999 to February 2000. Mr. Lai received his bachelor’s degree in computer science from Beijing Union University.

Mr. Edward Liu has served as our chief software officer since September 2012. Mr. Liu has served as the chief executive officer of Fastweb since November 2008. Mr. Liu was the director of business development at Akamai Technologies, Inc., one of the world’s leading CDN service providers, from June 2005 to June 2008. Mr. Liu served as vice president of research and strategy at Speedera Networks, a CDN company that was acquired by Akamai in 2005, from October 2003 to May 2005. Mr. Liu was the technical co-founder and chief technology officer of Resonate, Inc., a NASDAQ listed internet load-balancing company in Silicon Valley, from April 1996 to March 2000. Mr. Liu received his master’s degree in computer science from Syracuse University in 1990 and his bachelor’s degree in electronic science from Chengdu University of Information Technology in 1982.

Employment Agreements

We have entered into employment agreements with each of our executive officers. Under these agreements, each of our senior executive officers is employed for a specified time period. We may terminate employment for cause, at any time, without advance notice or remuneration, for certain acts of the executive officer, such as conviction or plea of guilty to a felony or any crime involving moral turpitude, negligent or dishonest acts to our detriment, or misconduct or a failure to perform agreed duties. In such case, the executive officer will not be entitled to receive payment of any severance benefits or other amounts by reason of the termination, and the executive officer’s right to all other benefits will terminate, except as required by any applicable law. We may also terminate an executive officer’s employment without cause upon one-month advance written notice. In such case of termination by us, we are required to provide compensation to the executive officer, including severance pay, as expressly required by the applicable law of the jurisdiction where the executive officer is based. The executive officer may terminate the employment at any time with a one-month advance written notice, if there is any significant change in the executive officer’s duties and responsibilities inconsistent in any material and adverse respect with his or her title and position or a material reduction in the executive officer’s annual salary before the next annual salary review, or if otherwise approved by the board of directors.

Each executive officer has agreed to hold, both during and after the termination or expiry of his or her employment agreement, in strict confidence, and not to use, except as required in the performance of his or her duties in connection with the employment, any of our confidential information or trade secrets, any confidential information or trade secrets of our clients or prospective clients, or the confidential or proprietary information of any third party received by us and for which we have confidential obligations. The executive officers have also agreed to disclose in confidence to us all inventions, designs and trade secrets which they conceive, develop or reduce to practice and to assign all right, title and interest in them to us, and assist us in obtaining patents, copyrights and other legal rights for these inventions, designs and trade secrets.

In addition, each executive officer has agreed to be bound by non-competition and non-solicitation restrictions during the term of his or her employment and for one year following the last date of employment. Specifically, each executive officer has agreed not to (i) approach our clients, customers or contacts or other persons or entities introduced to the executive officer for the purpose of doing business with such persons or entities that will harm our business relationships with these persons or entities; (ii) assume employment with or provide services to any of our competitors, or engage, whether as principal, partner, licensor or otherwise, any of our competitors; or (iii) seek directly or indirectly, to solicit the services of any of our employees who is employed by us on or after the date of the executive officer’s termination, or in the year preceding such termination.

B. Compensation of Directors and Executive Officers

In 2012, the aggregate cash compensation we paid to our executive officers was approximately RMB6.7 million (US$1.1 million), which total amount included RMB0.9 million (US$0.1 million) for pension, retirement, medical insurance or other similar benefits for our executive officers. We did not provide any cash compensation to our non-executive directors in 2012. Other than the amounts stated above, no pension, retirement or similar benefits has been set aside or accrued for our executive officers or directors. None of our non-executive directors has a service contract with us that provides for benefits upon termination of employment.

In addition to the cash compensation referenced above, we also provide share-based compensation to our directors and officers. The total share-based compensation we provided to our directors and officers amounted to RMB26.7 million (US$4.3 million) in 2012. For option grants to our directors and officers, see “—Share Incentive Plan.” On December 31, 2010, we entered into a share subscription agreement with Sunrise, a company solely owned by Mr. Sheng Chen, our chairman and chief executive officer, in recognition of his past services to our company. Pursuant to the agreement, we issued 24,826,090 ordinary shares to Sunrise at par value US$0.00001 per share. The ordinary shares issued to Sunrise are fully vested, non-assessable and not subject to any condition or any redemption, repurchase or similar rights. As such, we recorded share-based compensation expenses of RMB206.1 million based on the fair value of our ordinary shares of US$1.234 per share on the date when the shares were issued to Sunrise. Neither Sunrise nor Mr. Chen is subject to any contractual obligation to transfer part or all of these shares to any person under the share subscription agreement or otherwise. This issuance was a one-time grant in recognition of and to reward Mr. Chen’s services to our company for the past decade. Mr. Chen is the sole beneficial owner of these shares and has the sole voting and dispositive power over these shares.

Share Incentive Plan

On July 16, 2010, we adopted our 2010 share incentive plan to attract and retain the best available personnel, provide additional incentives to employees, directors and consultants and to promote the success of our business. We subsequently amended our 2010 share incentive plan on January 14, 2011 and July 6, 2012. The plan permits the grant of options to purchase our ordinary shares, share appreciation rights, restricted shares, RSUs, dividend equivalent rights and other instruments as deemed appropriate by the administrator under the plans. The maximum aggregate number of ordinary shares that may be issued pursuant to all awards under the amended 2010 share incentive plan is 39,272,595 shares. As of the date of this annual report, we have options to purchase 16,909,914 ordinary shares and 817,722 RSUs granted to our employees, directors and consultants issued and outstanding.

The following table summarizes, as of the date of this annual report, the stock options granted, or to be granted in the near future, under our amended 2010 share incentive plan to our directors and executive officers and to other individuals as a group.


Name	Options Granted	Restricted Share Units	Exercise Price (US$/Share)	Date of Grant	Date of Expiration
Sheng Chen	1,540,000		0.15	July 16, 2010	July 16, 2020
		*	—	August 30, 2012	August 29, 2022
Jun Zhang	4,620,000		0.15	July 16, 2010	July 16, 2020
		*	—	August 30, 2012	August 29, 2022
Yoshihisa Ueno		*	—	October 1, 2012	September 30, 2022
Hongwei Jenny Lee		*	—	October 1, 2012	September 30, 2022
Terry Wang		*	—	October 1, 2012	September 30, 2022
Kenneth Chung-Hou Tai		*	—	October 16, 2012	October 15, 2022
Shang-Wen Hsiao	*		0.15	July 16, 2010	July 16, 2020
Philip Lin	*		0.15	March 25, 2011	March 25, 2021
Feng Xiao	*		0.15	July 16, 2010	July 16, 2020
		*	—	August 30, 2012	August 29, 2022
Ningning Lai	*		0.15	July 16, 2010	July 16, 2020
		*	—	August 30, 2012	August 29, 2022
Other individuals as a group	14,803,214	536,393	0.15 to 0.85	—	—

*	Representing less than 1% of our outstanding ordinary shares.

The following paragraphs describe the principal terms of our amended 2010 share incentive plan.

Plan Administration. Our board and the compensation committee of the board will administer our plans. A committee of one or more members of the board designated by our board or the compensation committee is also authorized to grant or amend awards to participants other than senior executives. The committee will determine the provisions and terms and conditions of each award grant. It shall also have discretionary power to interpret the terms of our plans.

Award Agreement. Awards granted under our plans are evidenced by an award agreement that sets forth terms, conditions and limitations for each award, which may include the term of an award, the provisions applicable in the event the participant’s employment or service terminates, and our authority to unilaterally or bilaterally amend, modify, suspend, cancel or rescind an award.

Eligibility. We may grant awards to our employees, consultants and directors. However, no shares may be optioned, granted or awarded if such action would cause an incentive share option to fail to qualify as an incentive share option under Section 422 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 of the United States.

Acceleration of Awards upon Change in Control. The participant’s awards shall become fully exercisable and all forfeiture restrictions on such awards shall lapse, unless converted, assumed or replaced by a successor.

Exercise Price. The exercise price of an option shall be determined by the plan administrator and set forth in the award agreement and may be a fixed or variable price related to the fair market value of the shares, to the extent not prohibited by applicable laws. Subject to certain limits set forth in the plan, the exercise price may be amended or adjusted in the absolute discretion of the plan administrator, the determination of which shall be final, binding and conclusive. To the extent not prohibited by applicable laws or any exchange rule, a downward adjustment of the exercise prices of options shall be effective without the approval of the shareholders or the approval of the affected participants.

Vesting Schedule. In general, our plan administrator determines or the evidence of the award specifies, the vesting schedule.

Amendment and Termination of the Plan. With the approval of our board, our plan administrator may, at any time and from time to time, amend, modify or terminate the plan, provided, however, that no such amendment shall be made without the approval of the our shareholders to the extent such approval is required by applicable laws, or in the event that such amendment increases the number of shares available under our plan, permits our plan administrator to extend the term of our plan or the exercise period for an option beyond ten years from the date of grant or results in a material increase in benefits or a change in eligibility requirements, unless we decides to follow home country practice.

C. Board Practices

Board of Directors

Our board of directors currently consists of six directors. A director is not required to hold any shares in the company by way of qualification. Under our fourth amended and restated memorandum and articles of association, subject to any separate requirement for audit committee approval or compensation committee approval or unless disqualified by the chairman of the relevant board meeting, so long as a director discloses the nature of his or her interest in any contract, proposal or arrangement (including arrangement with respect to compensation to himself or herself or any other members of the board) in which he or she is materially interested, such a director may vote in respect of such contract, proposal or arrangement and may be counted in the quorum at such a meeting. A director may exercise all the powers of the company to borrow money, mortgage its undertaking, property and uncalled capital, and issue debentures or other securities whenever money is borrowed or as security for any obligation of the company or of any third party.

Committees of the Board of Directors

We have three committees under the board of directors: the audit committee, the compensation committee and the nominating and corporate governance committee. We have adopted a charter for each of the three committees. Each committee’s members and functions are described below.

Audit Committee. Our audit committee consists of Terry Wang, Hongwei Jenny Lee and Yoshihisa Ueno, each of whom satisfies the “independence” requirements of Rule 5605 of NASDAQ Stock Market Rules and Rule 10A-3 under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Terry Wang is the chair of our audit committee. The purpose of the audit committee is to assist our board of directors with its oversight responsibilities regarding: (i) the integrity of our financial statements, (ii) our compliance with legal and regulatory requirements, (iii) the independent auditor’s qualifications and independence and (iv) the performance of our internal audit function and independent auditor. The audit committee will be responsible for, among other things:

•

appointing the independent auditors and pre-approving all auditing and non-auditing services permitted to be performed by the independent auditors;

•

reviewing with the independent auditors any audit problems or difficulties and management’s response;

•

discussing the annual audited financial statements with management and the independent auditors;

•

reviewing the adequacy and effectiveness of our accounting and internal control policies and procedures and any steps taken to monitor and control major financial risk exposures;

•

reviewing and approving all proposed related party transactions;

•

meeting separately and periodically with management and the independent auditors; and

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monitoring compliance with our code of business conduct and ethics, including reviewing the adequacy and effectiveness of our procedures to ensure proper compliance.

Compensation Committee. Our compensation committee consists of Yoshihisa Ueno, Hongwei Jenny Lee and Terry Wang, each of whom satisfies the “independence” requirements of Rule 5605 of NASDAQ Stock

Market Rules. Yoshihisa Ueno is the chair of our compensation committee. The compensation committee assists the board in reviewing and approving the compensation structure, including all forms of compensation, relating to our directors and executive officers. Our chief executive officer may not be present at any committee meeting during which his compensation is deliberated. The compensation committee is responsible for, among other things:

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reviewing and approving, or recommending to the board for its approval, the compensation for our chief executive officer and other executive officers;

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