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first_img The funding gap for Bitcoin mining companies is about 50 billion USD, and the borrowing costs for IREN and others are diverging

According to the Miner Weekly briefing published by BlocksBridge Consulting, Bitcoin mining companies expanding into the fields of artificial intelligence and high-performance computing are facing significantly different borrowing costs, with lenders increasingly scrutinizing large data center projects. The briefing points out that securing large AI clients is only part of the challenge; mining companies also need to raise billions of dollars to purchase computing power equipment, build data centers, and ensure the power infrastructure required for contract fulfillment. BlocksBridge indicates that large lending institutions have become more selective about data center loans, with decisions increasingly depending on client qualifications, contract terms, and project completion paths.The transition from Bitcoin mining to AI infrastructure by IREN reflects the differences in financing costs: the company secured $3.65 billion in GPU financing in June at a blended interest rate of 6%; in August, it completed another $2.4 billion financing with a fixed interest rate of 9%. The two agreements correspond to different projects and are not directly comparable, but they show that even within the same company, borrowing costs can vary significantly. Financing arrangements may also incur costs beyond interest; in another transaction involving Cipher Digital, Google guaranteed a $1.4 billion lease obligation in exchange for warrants representing a 5.4% equity stake in Cipher, with exercising the warrants potentially diluting existing shareholder equity.The rise in financing demand highlights the overall challenges mining companies face in entering the AI market. Data from VanEck shows that during the peak of the Bitcoin bull market in October last year, mining company debt surged by approximately 500% compared to the second quarter of 2024.

first_img Bernstein: IREN's $25 billion to $30 billion AI expansion plan may raise concerns among investors

According to The Block, research and brokerage firm Bernstein stated that Bitcoin mining company IREN plans to invest $25 billion to $30 billion to expand its AI cloud business in fiscal year 2027. This scale of capital expenditure may "scare the market," but analysts believe investors are overlooking the improving economic benefits.Bernstein analyst Gautam Chhugani pointed out in a report to clients on Friday that the payback period for GPU capital expenditures has shortened from about three years under the 2025 Microsoft contract to about two years. IREN's fiscal year 2026 performance released on Thursday showed that AI cloud service revenue grew nearly eightfold from $16.4 million the previous year to $128.8 million, while Bitcoin mining revenue reached $578.2 million, a year-on-year increase of 19%. Total revenue rose from $501 million to $707 million, but the company recorded a net loss of $702.6 million, partly reflecting a $638.8 million impairment due to the retirement of Bitcoin mining hardware to support AI cloud expansion.Bernstein stated that IREN currently has an annualized run rate revenue of $1 billion from operating cloud and $4 billion in contract revenue, with its 2026 capacity nearly sold out. In addition to the expected $700 million related to the Nvidia contract in 2027, IREN's total contract cloud ARR amounts to $4.7 billion. Over the past 12 months, IREN has raised $19 billion through customer prepayments, GPU financing, convertible bonds, and equity issuance.
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