VNET Group, Inc.

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. Please carefully consider the risks discussed under “Risk Factors” in this annual report beginning on page 14. We provide the following disclosure to help investors better understand our corporate structure, operations in China and the associated risks.

As used in this annual report, (i) “variable interest entities” or “VIEs” refers to VNET Technology, BJ iJoy and SH Zhiyan, each of which is a company incorporated in the PRC; (ii) “WFOEs” or “our wholly-owned PRC subsidiaries” refers to VNET Data Center Co., Ltd., or VNET China, Joytone Infotech Co., Ltd., or SZ Zhuoaiyi, and Shanghai Edge Connect Technology Co., Ltd., or SH Edge Connect, our wholly-owned subsidiaries incorporated in the PRC; (iii) “VNET Group” or “our holding company” refers to VNET Group, Inc., our Cayman holding company; and (iv) “we,” “us,” “our company,” or “our” refers to VNET Group, Inc. and its subsidiaries and, in the context of describing our operations and consolidated financial information, also include the VIEs and their subsidiaries, unless the context otherwise requires.

Our Corporate Structure and Operations in China

VNET Group, Inc. is not an operating company but a Cayman Islands holding company with operations primarily conducted by its subsidiaries and variable interest entities, or VIEs, and VIEs’ subsidiaries. Foreign ownership in the business involving data center and value-added telecommunications service (except for e-commerce, domestic conferencing, store-and-forward, and call center services) is subject to significant restrictions under current PRC laws, rules and regulations. In order to provide certain data center and value-added telecommunication services in China while ensuring compliance with PRC laws and regulations, our wholly-owned PRC subsidiaries entered into a series of contractual arrangements with the VIEs and their shareholders. The contractual agreements are designed to provide us economic exposure and control over such services to the VIEs’ data center and value-added telecommunication services in China where PRC laws prohibit, restrict or impose conditions on direct equity investment in the VIEs. For a detailed description about these contractual arrangements, see “Item 4. Information on the Company—C. Organizational Structure—Contractual Arrangements with the Variable Interest Entities and Their Shareholders.”

As a result of such series of contractual arrangements, VNET Group and its relevant wholly-owned subsidiaries become the primary beneficiary of the VIEs for accounting purposes and treat them as PRC consolidated entities under U.S. GAAP. We consolidate the financial results of the VIEs and their subsidiaries in our consolidated financial statements in accordance with U.S. GAAP. Neither we nor our investors own any equity ownership in, direct foreign investment in, or control through such ownership/investment of the VIEs. As a result, investors in our ADSs are not purchasing equity interest in the VIEs or their subsidiaries but instead are purchasing equity interest in VNET Group, a Cayman Islands holding company.

Our contractual arrangements with the VIEs and their respective shareholders have not been tested in a court of law in the PRC and foreign investors may never be allowed to hold equity interests in the VIEs and their subsidiaries under PRC laws and regulations. Chinese regulatory authorities could in the future disallow these agreements, which would likely affect our operations in China. For a detailed description of the risks associated with our corporate structure, see “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Corporate Structure” in this annual report on Form 20-F.

We and the VIEs face various legal and operational risks and uncertainties related to doing business in China, including complex and evolving PRC laws and regulations. For example, we and the VIEs face risks associated with regulatory approvals or filings on offshore offerings, the use of variable interest entities, anti-monopoly regulatory actions, and oversight on cybersecurity and data privacy, which may impact our ability to conduct certain businesses, accept foreign investments, or list on a United States or other foreign exchange. These risks could result in a material adverse change in our operations and the value of our ADSs, significantly limit or completely hinder our ability to offer or continue to offer securities to investors, or cause such securities to significantly decline in value or become worthless.

The Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act

Pursuant to the Holding Foreign Companies Accountable Act, or the HFCA Act, if the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or the SEC, determines that a company retains a foreign accounting firm that cannot be subject to inspections by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board, or the PCAOB, for two consecutive years, the SEC will prohibit its securities from being traded on a national securities exchange or in the over-the-counter trading market in the United States. On December 16, 2021, the PCAOB issued a report relaying to the SEC its determinations that it was unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms in the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong. In March 2022, the SEC issued its first “Conclusive list of issuers identified under the HFCA Act” indicating that those companies were formally subject to the delisting provisions. In May 2022, we were conclusively identified by the SEC under the HFCA Act due to the fact that our auditor was located in the Chinese mainland and could not be inspected by the PCAOB. For more details, see https://www.sec.gov/hfcaa.

On August 26, 2022, the PCAOB signed with the China Securities Regulatory Commission, or the CSRC, and the Ministry of Finance of the PRC a Statement of Protocol, which gives the PCAOB sole discretion to select the firms, audit engagements and potential violations it inspects and investigates and put in place procedures for PCAOB inspectors and investigators to view complete audit work papers with all information included and for the PCAOB to retain information as needed. On December 15, 2022, the PCAOB issued a report that vacated its December 16, 2021 determination and removed the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong from the list of jurisdictions where it was unable to inspect or investigate completely registered public accounting firms. Each year, the PCAOB will determine whether it can inspect and investigate completely audit firms in the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, among other jurisdictions.

If the PCAOB determines in the future that it no longer has full access to inspect and investigate completely accounting firms in the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong and we continue to use an accounting firm headquartered in one of these jurisdictions to issue an audit report on our financial statements filed with the SEC, we would be identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer following the filing of the annual report on Form 20-F for the relevant fiscal year. There can be no assurance that we would not be identified as a Commission-Identified Issuer for any future fiscal year, and if we were so identified for two consecutive years, we would become subject to the prohibition on trading under the HFCA Act. For more details, see “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—Our ADSs may be prohibited from trading in the United States under the HFCA Act in the future if the PCAOB is unable to inspect or investigate completely auditors located in China. The delisting of our ADSs, or the threat of their being delisted, may materially and adversely affect the value of your investment.”

Permissions Required from the PRC Authorities for Our Operations

We conduct our business primarily through our subsidiaries and consolidated affiliated entities in China. Our operations in China are governed by PRC laws and regulations. Our WFOEs, the VIEs and their subsidiaries, as applicable, are required by PRC laws and regulations to obtain licenses and permits from the PRC government authorities to operate our business in the Chinese mainland, including, among others, project approvals and filings, construction land and project planning approvals, environment protection approvals, energy conservation review opinion, construction commencement permit and land use right certificate, and the value-added telecommunications services licenses. As of the date of this annual report, except as disclosed in “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—If we fail to acquire, obtain or maintain applicable telecommunications licenses, or are deemed by relevant governmental authorities to be operating without full compliance with the laws and regulations, our business would be materially and adversely affected”, our WFOEs and the VIEs, as applicable, have obtained the requisite licenses and permits from the PRC government authorities that are material for the business operations of our subsidiaries and our consolidated affiliated entities in China, including, the requisite value-added telecommunications operation licenses. As the PRC legal system continues to evolve to adapt to a constantly developing society, new laws, regulations, policies, or guidelines may be introduced, and there may be changes from time to time in the interpretation,implementation and enforcement of relevant laws and regulations, and accordingly, we may be required to obtain additional licenses, permits, filings or approvals for business operations in the future.

The PRC government has promulgated certain regulations and rules in recent years to strengthen oversight over offerings that are conducted overseas and/or foreign investment in China-based issuers. In connection with any future capital markets activities overseas, we may need to file with the CSRC, undergo a cybersecurity review conducted by the Cyberspace Administration of China, or the CAC, or meet other regulatory requirements that may be adopted in the future by PRC regulatory authorities. For more detailed information, see “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China—The approval and/or other requirements of the CSRC or other PRC governmental authorities may be required in connection with an offering under PRC rules, regulations or policies, and, if required, we cannot predict whether or how soon we will be able to obtain such approval.”

Furthermore, in connection with our issuance of securities to foreign investors prior to December 2023 and maintenance of our listing status on the Nasdaq, under the current PRC laws, regulations and regulatory rules, as of the date of this annual report, we, our WFOEs and the VIEs, (i) are not required to obtain permissions from the CSRC, (ii) are not required to go through cybersecurity review by the CAC, and (iii) have not been asked to obtain such permissions by any PRC authority. However, for issuance of listed securities overseas after listings on the overseas market, filing materials should be submitted to CSRC within three working days after the completion of the issuance. As of the date of this annual report, we have submitted filing materials to CSRC in accordance with the CSRC filing rules.

For a detailed description of risks related to doing business in China, see “Item 3. Key Information—D. Risk Factors—Risks Related to Doing Business in China” and “Item 4. Information on the Company—B. Business Overview—Regulations” in this annual report on Form 20-F.