‘BTC’s security is lower now’ – Why miners are abandoning Bitcoin for AI

The factitious intelligence (AI) growth and the demand for computing assets to coach fashions supplied Bitcoin miners a brand new lifeline amid declining miner rewards. 

Bitcoin miners akin to Iren (Nasdaq: IREN), Utilized Digital Corp (Nasdaq: APLD), and Hut 8 Corp (Nasdaq: HUT), repurposed their mining rigs for AI and reported large share beneficial properties in 2025. 

Supply: Artemis 

However some miners should not solely diversifying their operations however abandoning BTC and crypto mining altogether. 

Bitfarms (Nasdaq: BITF), for instance, not too long ago sold its Paraguay BTC mining plant to “reinvest of their North American HPC/AI vitality infrastructure in 2026.” 

One other miner, Riots Platform (Nasdaq: RIOT), made an AI cope with AMD, absolutely funded by promoting 1,080 BTC from its stability sheet. These actions and miner dumps fueled strain on the crypto asset. 

Will AI pivot strain BTC?

Moreover, the general mining sector has been struggling to remain afloat. As a result of mining prices have risen above the present Bitcoin [BTC] value. Hash Ribbon, the indicator that tracks this miner capitulation, was flagged in late November (crimson shades). 

It all the time forces miners to promote BTC to cowl operational prices. 

Supply: Glassnode

Traditionally, the miner capitulation additionally tends to behave as a backside sign and good shopping for alternative (white zones) if the 30-day common (inexperienced) crosses above the 60-day common (blue). 

Though such a shift was shut and a agency structural rebound in BTC’s value is probably going, the miner AI pivot additionally revealed one other facet of BTC that hasn’t drawn a lot consideration. 

Every BTC halving occasion, the block rewards miners obtain are decreased by half. In 2020, it was 6.25 BTC; after the 2024 halving, the rewards dropped to three.125 BTC. And after the upcoming 2028 occasion, the brand new rewards will drop even additional to 1.5625 BTC. 

Except BTC’s worth explodes increased, mining could be much less profitable sooner or later in comparison with AI returns. 

Will Bitcoin community safety falter?

Amid this decline in rewards, transaction charges have been meant to cowl this shortfall. Collectively, block rewards and transaction charges are the safety finances that retains miners up and working to safe the community. 

Nonetheless, as block subsidy drops and charges fail to provide cowl, the founding father of VC agency Cyber Capital, Justin Bons, warned, 

“BTC’s safety is decrease now than it was 5 years in the past! The safety finances will hold falling till the community is attacked.”

Supply: Dune

Last Ideas 

• The BTC miners’ AI pivot and broader mining sector added strain to the markets.
• Though a market shift was shut if the Hash Ribbon indicator cleared, the sustainability of BTC mining remained unclear.