Bitcoin News Today: Bitcoin Miners' AI Gamble: Can Innovation Outrun Price Volatility?

Bitcoin miners are increasingly leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC) to offset bear market pressures, even as analysts caution of a potential steep correction in Bitcoin's price below $100,000. With seven of the top ten miners by hashrate already generating revenue from AI initiatives, the industry is redefining its economic model by pairing energy infrastructure with contracted GPU workloads. TeraWulf's 200 MW AI hosting deal with Fluidstack—backed by Google—sets a benchmark of approximately $1.85 million per MW per year, a figure many miners now use as a reference when courting AI tenants, according to a Cryptoslate report.

The shift is reshaping mining economics, with companies like Core Scientific and CleanSpark expanding HPC capacity through long-term partnerships. CleanSpark's 285 MW AI campus in Texas and Marathon's acquisition of Exaion, a European data-center operator, highlight the trend toward mixed-use infrastructure where GPUs, miners, and colocation services coexist, according to the same Cryptoslate report.

Meanwhile, Riot Platforms has paused mining expansion at its Corsicana site to evaluate repurposing 600 MW for AI, reflecting the urgency to adapt amid volatile crypto markets, as noted in the same Cryptoslate report.

However, this pivot is not without challenges. Grid constraints, GPU supply bottlenecks, and interconnection delays in regions like Texas's ERCOT market could slow the transition. Analysts note that Bitcoin's fee regime could narrow the revenue gap between mining and AI hosting—if average block fees rise by 0.5 BTC, mining's gross revenue per MW could gain $200,000–$300,000 annually, according to the Cryptoslate report.

The bearish outlook for Bitcoin is compounded by recent market dynamics. All 12 U.S. Bitcoin ETFs recorded $558 million in outflows on November 7, the second-largest single-day withdrawal since their launch, according to a Crypto.news report. Solana ETFs, however, extended their inflow streak to nine days, signaling shifting investor preferences, as noted in the Crypto.news report. On-chain data also suggests a potential $38,000–$50,000 bottom for Bitcoin in roughly 328 days, according to analyst Ali Martinez, as reported by Blockonomi.

JPMorgan and Bernstein have flagged miners with attractive power contracts as M&A targets, noting that under financial pressure post-halving, some firms may seek consolidation, as detailed in the Coindesk article. Riot Platforms, with its liquidity and strategic assets, is seen as a prime consolidator, as reported in the Coindesk article.

Bitcoin's price, currently trading near $103,000, faces critical resistance at $104,000. A break below this level could trigger a test of $100,000, with analysts like KillaXBT warning of a "steep correction" if support fails, as noted in the Blockonomi report. Meanwhile, on-chain metrics like Apparent Demand have turned positive for the first time since October, hinting at renewed spot buying interest, as reported by NewsBTC, though futures open interest remains subdued, according to the NewsBTC report.

As miners balance AI expansion with crypto fundamentals, the industry's success will hinge on power efficiency, GPU availability, and macroeconomic shifts. The race to monetize infrastructure is accelerating, but Bitcoin's price trajectory remains a wildcard in this high-stakes transition.