Odaily Planet Daily reports: At the first Energy Investment Forum (EIF) held in Dallas, USA, participants stated that the AI wave is essentially driving large-scale energy infrastructure development rather than merely a software competition. Bitcoin mining companies, with their years of experience in sourcing low-cost electricity, building modular computing facilities, and participating in grid regulation, hold certain advantages in the expansion of AI data centers. However, possessing energy resources does not automatically qualify one to build AI data centers.
Alexander Neumüller, a researcher at the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance, stated that preliminary data shows global Bitcoin mining’s annual electricity consumption rose from 138 terawatt-hours (TWh) between June 2024 and December 2025 to approximately 190 TWh. Around 10% of mining companies have already begun using a portion of their power for AI or high-performance computing (HPC), while over 40% are exploring such transitions. In the future, the integration of mining operations with AI infrastructure may take various forms, including building large-scale AI data centers, providing distributed computing power, continuing Bitcoin mining operations, or transitioning into grid service providers. (News.bitcoin)