Amid the AI rush across the global financial market, crypto entities are also positioning for an AI-driven future. Bitcoin miner Riot Platform is one of the major crypto players to fully expand its reach into the AI sector.
Riot Platforms and Anthropic strike a $9 billion deal
In a major boost for the company’s expansion plans, Riot Platforms announced a 20-year data center lease with Anthropic.
The agreement is expected to generate approximately $9 billion in revenue over the agreed period. The agreed contract entails 191 megawatts of IT capacity at Riot’s campus in Texas. The contract will run until June 2048.
The contract could also be extended for another five years to 2053, raising total revenue to over $16 billion.
Based on the agreement, the implementation will occur in phases, with 96 megawatts targeted for December 2027 and fully 191 megawatts by 2028.
To cover the project’s development costs, Riot disclosed that it acquired $573 million in financing from Morgan Stanley.
The deal with Anthropic is the second deal in 2026, following the earlier agreement with Advanced Micro Devices Inc. So far, Riot Platforms has $9.8 billion in long-term contracted revenue.
Share prices jump 25% with the deal
Riot platforms recently started selling AI data center capacity, and the move is paying off. Riot shares surged +25% in after-hours trading after the news.
Its shares climbed from $19 to $24.3 as of this writing, marking over 4.9-point jumps. The rising stock value implies that investors took the news positively and jumped to position themselves.
What does it mean for Bitcoin?
Although Riot Platforms disclosed its major AI deal, the company also reported major losses. The firm reported a wider-than-expected loss for Q2 2026.
The company posted adjusted EPS of -$0.33 compared to the forecast of -$0.23. At the same time, it recorded revenue of $153 million against expectations of $155.5 million.
On top of that, GAAP net loss expanded to $237 million, largely driven by its noncash charges tied to Bitcoin holdings and depreciation.
The rising losses explain why Riot has been actively selling Bitcoin in 2026. AMBCrypto earlier reported that Riot Platforms sold $24.5 million worth of BTC.
As BTC weakened, they have increased selling to support operational activities. Now, with the AI venture paying off and revenue rising to $23 million, it could be a boost for BTC.
With other revenue flowing in, it is likely that Riot will reduce selling BTC during the downtrend. In doing so, the move will help reduce market pressure from major players.
Final Summary
- Riot Platforms announced it struck a 20-year data center lease with Anthropic, with expected revenue of $9 billion.
- Riot shares surged +25% in after-hours trading after the news, with Bitcoiners eyeing reduced selling pressure from the entity.
