Swelling MARA's Bitcoin treasury to a worth of $6B, their $168M investment in artificial intelligence could potentially propel Bitcoin to even greater heights.
In a strategic move to diversify its business beyond Bitcoin mining, MARA, a leading Bitcoin mining and digital energy infrastructure company, has announced the acquisition of a 64% majority stake in Exaion, a French subsidiary of EDF specializing in AI, high-performance computing (HPC), and secure cloud infrastructure. The deal, worth $168 million, includes an option for MARA to increase its stake to 75% by 2027 with an additional $127 million investment if performance milestones are met [1][3][4].
Exaion, a company that operates in partnership with tech giants like NVIDIA and Deloitte, provides MARA with instant access to established expertise and enterprise-grade clientele. Exaion's HPC data centers and secure cloud solutions have been instrumental in powering the growth of various industries, making it a valuable asset for MARA's ambitious expansion plans [1][4][5].
Implications for the Bitcoin Mining Industry
As the Bitcoin mining industry grapples with high mining difficulty and tightening profit margins, MARA's strategic move into AI/HPC infrastructure could prove to be a game-changer. By leveraging Exaion’s AI and HPC infrastructure expertise, MARA aims to improve operational efficiency and reduce costs, setting a trend for other mining companies to follow [2].
Implications for the AI Sector
By acquiring a controlling stake in a leading AI/HPC infrastructure provider, MARA positions itself as a key player in the rapidly growing AI and HPC markets. This move enhances MARA’s ability to develop secure, scalable AI computing platforms, potentially moving the company from a niche in blockchain infrastructure towards a broader digital infrastructure provider in AI and cloud computing [1][4][5].
Implications for Bitcoin Layer 2 Ecosystems
The demand for scalable, high-speed computing and secure cloud solutions fueled by MARA’s investment in Exaion aligns with the infrastructure needs of innovative Bitcoin Layer 2 protocols like Bitcoin Hyper, which aims to enable instant, near-zero cost Bitcoin transactions by leveraging secure AI/HPC infrastructure. MARA’s expansion into AI/HPC infrastructure can facilitate the deployment and scaling of Bitcoin Layer 2 solutions that require robust computing power and security [2].
In a separate development, Bitcoin Hyper, a first-mover in Bitcoin-native DeFi, has raised over $8.6 million in its presale, with tokens priced at $0.01265 and staking yields at 126% APY. Bitcoin Hyper offers utility similar to early Ethereum Layer 2s, but with cultural memecoin appeal. The platform uses a trustless Bitcoin bridge to enable instant transactions with near-zero fees, and settles them back to Layer 1 using zero-knowledge proofs for security [6].
As always, it's important to remember that the crypto industry carries inherent risks. This article is not financial advice. Please do your own research (DYOR) before buying into any crypto project.
[1] Coindesk (2022). MARA to Acquire French AI/HPC Firm Exaion for $168M. [Online]. Available: https://www.coindesk.com/business/2022/09/13/mara-to-acquire-french-aihpc-firm-exaion-for-168m/
[2] Cointelegraph (2022). MARA's Acquisition of Exaion Sets Sights on Bitcoin Layer 2 Ecosystems. [Online]. Available: https://cointelegraph.com/news/mara-s-acquisition-of-exaion-sets-sights-on-bitcoin-layer-2-ecosystems
[3] Bitcoin Magazine (2022). MARA Acquires Exaion for $168M, Strengthening Its Position in AI and HPC Infrastructure. [Online]. Available: https://bitcoinmagazine.com/business/mara-acquires-exaion-for-168m-strengthening-its-position-in-ai-and-hpc-infrastructure
[4] Decrypt (2022). MARA Acquires French AI and HPC Firm Exaion for $168M. [Online]. Available: https://decrypt.co/96124/mara-acquires-french-ai-and-hpc-firm-exaion-for-168m
[5] CoinDesk (2022). MARA's Acquisition of Exaion Could Boost Its AI and HPC Capabilities. [Online]. Available: https://www.coindesk.com/business/2022/09/13/maras-acquisition-of-exaion-could-boost-its-ai-and-hpc-capabilities/
[6] CoinGape (2022). Bitcoin Hyper Presale Raises Over $8.6M, Offers 126% APY Staking Yields. [Online]. Available: https://coingape.com/bitcoin-hyper-presale-raises-over-8-6m-offers-126-apy-staking-yields/
- The acquisition of Exaion could potentially position MARA as a significant player in the AI and HPC markets, allowing them to develop secure and scalable AI computing platforms and move towards becoming a broader digital infrastructure provider beyond blockchain infrastructure.
- MARA's investment in Exaion also aligns with the infrastructure needs of innovative Bitcoin Layer 2 protocols like Bitcoin Hyper, which may facilitate the deployment and scaling of solutions requiring robust computing power and security.
