Could a nuclear war kill crypto? AI predicts Bitcoin’s fate in doomsday scenario

• BTC’s worth may crash 10%-80% if nuclear warfare escalates from native to regional or continent-wide.  
• The Bitcoin community can be severely degraded when solely 1000 nodes stay lively. 

Bitcoin [BTC] has a non secular following, particularly for individuals who imagine it’s a hedge towards inflation and political instability, like the continued Israel-Iran warfare. However, what if it cracks in a nuclear doomsday?  

Many rich people, like Mexico’s richest man, Ricardo Salinas, and leaders like U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance, have embraced BTC and crypto as a hedge. 

In actual fact, BlackRock, the world’s largest asset supervisor, pitches BTC as a hedge equal or higher than gold. Nonetheless, AI predicts that the digital gold could not survive a nuclear apocalypse. 

Bitcoin community vs. nuclear warfare

For starters, it’s essential to know the Bitcoin community, miners who safe it, and nodes that run the protocol to make sure transaction reliability. 

As of mid-2025, the community has 22,129 reachable nodes (together with mining nodes) unfold throughout the globe. 

Supply: NewHedge 

In accordance with public and official data, the U.S. controls 10.2% of BTC nodes, adopted by Germany (5.8%) and France (2.6%). 

All the highest three are nuclear powers, whereas China, per official information, owns solely 0.15%. Nonetheless, practically 64% of nodes remained unaccounted for or unknown. 

Per ChatGPT, China could also be controlling most of those ‘unknown’ nodes, as most of their operators opted for VPNs and went underground after the state banned BTC mining in 2021.   

Supply: ChatGPT

Unravelling eventualities

In a significant battle wiping out 60-80% of the web, Bitcoin lively nodes may drop from the present 22K to 1K, resulting in transaction failure, alongside the proof of labor (PoW) consensus. 

Many of the U.S. and Germany nodes can be offline for a mean warfare, like between Russia and NATO, per ChatGPT predictions. However P2P connections may very well be resumed in weeks. 

Nonetheless, a worldwide nuclear escalation would drive the community right into a ‘crucial failure state’, and the consensus program would cease. 

The above warfare scales and influence on the Bitcoin community would influence BTC’s worth in another way. 

However ChatGPT added that BTC pricing will likely be modified by different components like market psychology and sentiment.  

Supply: ChatGPT

Small scale warfare

For a confined battle, BTC may very well be considered as a hedge, like the present Israel-Iran warfare. It has stayed above $100K regardless of the warfare rhetoric from leaders, together with the U.S. President Donald Trump.

In actual fact, Bitwise’s Head of Alpha Methods strengthened this stance and just lately stated, 

“This second (geopolitical tensions) is why Bitcoin exists.”

In the meantime, different analysts, like QCP Capital, warned {that a} wider regional warfare may have an effect on oil provide and world inflation, placing BTC in danger.

In accordance with ChatGPT, nonetheless, such a regional scale, involving nuclear warheads, would result in worth swings with combined sentiment. 

Nonetheless, in a world and complete annihilation situation, meals and barter commerce will likely be extra precious, and the web and BTC will likely be lifeless. 

That is how ChatGPT charted out the above chances on the potential worth crash for BTC. 

Supply: ChatGPT

For a localized assault, the community would stay regular, and the worth may dip about 10%-30%.

In actual fact, that is thought of a standard pullback throughout bull markets. Per present costs, that may suggest a drop to $98K-$75K. 

For a regional nuclear warfare, BTC worth would crash 30%-60%, implying a possible dip to $75K-$42K as most nodes go offline. 

In continent-wide destruction (2-3 powers annihilated), ChatGPT projected a 60-80% decline. That might be a free fall to $42K-20K.

This may very well be an amazing low cost for survivors if Bitcoin survives and rallies above $100K. Nonetheless, solely 1000 nodes may very well be on-line, risking a protocol break up or fork. 

However, as a survivor with no web entry, you’ll possible care about meals and shelter if your entire world is nuked. Briefly, BTC would stop to exist as a market asset and doubtless tank to zero. 

General, BTC may develop into nugatory if nukes destroy the web and nodes.

However ChatGPT highlighted that it may survive provided that there’s a backup in satellites with sufficient operating nodes to maintain it decentralized and safe earlier than full re-connection in a while.

That mentioned, as of June 2025, there was solely an 18% chance of a nuclear bomb going off in 2025. So, it may very well be too early to place your nuclear warfare worries on BTC.