Here’s why bitcoin miners are beating traditional data centers to AI.
Watch on YouTube ↗  |  February 14, 2026 at 11:44 UTC  |  1:12  |  CoinDesk
Speakers
Unidentified Speaker — Industry Commentator/Analyst

Summary

  • Bitcoin miners are currently outperforming traditional data centers in the race to deploy AI compute because they prioritize speed over convention ("hold my beer" mentality).
  • The primary bottleneck for AI expansion is access to power; miners are solving this by locating "behind the meter" near natural gas pipelines and fiber optics.
  • A recent EPA ruling (targeting XAI's use of generators) creates a significant regulatory headwind for these off-grid, gas-powered AI buildouts.
Trade Ideas
Ticker Direction Speaker Thesis Time
LONG Unknown Speaker
Financial Commentator/Analyst
"All of these companies breaking into this new form of computers saying hold my beer we don't have time for that... as long as you get there first before everyone else, you're going to have a larger share." Traditional data centers are bogged down by bureaucracy ("writing new rule books"). Bitcoin miners possess the unique combination of existing power infrastructure, risk tolerance, and speed required to capture the initial AI compute market share. LONG. Miners are the "fast" infrastructure play for AI. Regulatory crackdowns on energy usage or a shift in AI compute requirements that miners cannot retrofit for.
AVOID Unknown Speaker
Financial Commentator/Analyst
"The traditional data center world is saying well this is the way we usually do it." Legacy data centers are moving too slowly to capture the explosive initial demand for AI training capacity. Their adherence to standard procedures makes them uncompetitive against agile miners willing to cut corners or build off-grid. AVOID. They are losing the "land grab" phase of the AI boom. Enterprise clients may prefer the reliability and compliance of legacy centers over the "wild west" approach of miners.
WATCH Unknown Speaker
Financial Commentator/Analyst
"They're ordering, you know, generators, and they'll just make their own power... Now, with the EPA ruling that came out like a couple weeks ago... it basically ruled against what XAI is doing." There is high demand for industrial generators (Caterpillar/Generac) to build off-grid power solutions. However, the EPA is actively trying to block this specific "behind the meter" strategy. WATCH. The demand is real, but the regulatory "stop" sign is also real. If the EPA ruling is enforced strictly, orders for these generators could be cancelled. EPA enforcement prevents the deployment of gas-fired generators for AI.
WATCH Unknown Speaker
Financial Commentator/Analyst
"It basically ruled against what XAI is doing as far as like there's certain standards that you have to meet for some of these generators... I think are going to slow that stuff down." XAI's strategy of rapid deployment using on-site gas generators is facing a direct regulatory wall. This could delay their model training and infrastructure rollout compared to competitors using grid power. WATCH. Monitor if they can pivot to compliant power sources quickly. Significant delays in compute capacity coming online. 1:01