Bitcoin News Today: CleanSpark Shifts Bitcoin Power to Fuel AI Data Centers

CleanSpark Inc. (NASDAQ: CLSK) is accelerating its transition from Bitcoin mining to artificial intelligence infrastructure, securing a Texas site with 385 megawatts of power capacity to support high-performance computing (HPC) workloads, according to a Blockspace report. The Las Vegas-based miner announced the acquisition of a greenfield property near Houston, which it expects to operationalize by late 2027, per a Crypto.news report. The move follows a strategic shift in which CleanSpark has redirected Bitcoin mining proceeds—generated from a fleet of 240,000 miners producing 50 exahashes per second—to fund AI expansion, as detailed in a Yahoo Finance article. In October alone, the company sold 589.88 Bitcoin for $64.9 million, leveraging the non-dilutive capital to secure 271 acres of land and 285 MW of power.

This pivot mirrors broader industry trends as Bitcoin miners repurpose their energy-intensive infrastructure for AI. Companies like IREN (formerly Iris Energy) and TeraWulf (NASDAQ: WULF) have struck multi-billion-dollar deals with tech giants, including Microsoft's $9.7 billion deal with IREN for AI data center capacity. The shift is driven by declining Bitcoin mining profitability post-2024's halving event and U.S. export restrictions on advanced AI chips to China, creating a supply gap that domestic miners are filling, according to a Yahoo Finance analysis. CleanSpark's CEO, Matt Schultz, emphasized the company's dual focus: "While Bitcoin remains integral to our business, we're equally focused on developing large-scale data centers that will power the next generation of innovation."

The global hashrate surge—now over 1.1 zettahashes—has further complicated the transition. Despite U.S. miners pivoting to AI, China and Russia have quietly expanded their Bitcoin mining operations, according to Luxor's Ethan Vera. This has left Western miners scrambling to secure long-term contracts, as seen in TeraWulf's 25-year agreement with FluidStack. CleanSpark's stock has surged nearly 100% since July 2025, reflecting investor optimism about its AI ambitions.

CleanSpark's strategy hinges on its existing infrastructure: 1.3 gigawatts of contracted power and a proven track record in energy-efficient mining (16.07 joules per terahash), according to Yahoo Finance. The company's pivot aligns with Bernstein analysts' assessment that Bitcoin miners are becoming "integral to the AI value chain" by providing "warm powered shells" for data centers. With 13,033 Bitcoin in its treasury and a $110,057 average sale price for October transactions, CleanSpark aims to balance its crypto holdings with AI-driven revenue streams.

The Texas expansion underscores the sector's transformation. As U.S. regulators block advanced chip exports to China, domestic miners like CleanSpark are positioned to capitalize on the bifurcated AI market. Their ability to repurpose existing data centers and power contracts offers a competitive edge over traditional infrastructure developers, which require years to build out capacity.