[Analysis: Not all Bitcoin mining companies can transition to AI, power resources become a core competitive advantage] Odaily Planet Daily News – At the inaugural Energy Investment Forum (EIF) held in Dallas, USA, attendees stated that the AI wave is essentially driving a large-scale energy infrastructure buildout, rather than merely a software competition. Bitcoin mining companies, with years of experience in sourcing low-cost electricity, building modular computing facilities, and participating in grid regulation, hold certain advantages in the expansion of AI data centers. However, possessing power resources does not automatically qualify them to build AI data centers. Alexander Neumüller, a researcher at the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance, noted that preliminary data indicates global annual electricity consumption for Bitcoin mining is expected to rise from 138 terawatt-hours (TWh) to approximately 190 TWh between June 2024 and December 2025. Around 10% of mining companies have already begun allocating part of their electricity to AI or high-performance computing (HPC), while over 40% of companies are exploring related transitions. The future integration of mining companies with AI infrastructure may take various forms, including building large-scale AI data centers, providing distributed computing power, continuing Bitcoin mining operations, or transitioning into grid service providers. (News.bitcoin)