Tom Kushner Bitcoin miner MARA takes a 64% stake in French computing firm Exaion, signaling a strategic expansion into artificial intelligence and cloud data services amid tightening mining margins.
Bitcoin miner MARA deepens its shift into AI with Exaion acquisition
Bitcoin miner MARA has moved decisively into the artificial intelligence sector after completing the purchase of a controlling interest in French computing infrastructure firm Exaion. The 64% stake marks one of the most significant diversification moves yet by a major crypto mining operator, highlighting how miners are repositioning for the future as the economics of Bitcoin mining grow increasingly complex.
The transaction, finalized following regulatory clearance, builds upon an agreement reached with EDF Pulse Ventures in mid-2025. French energy conglomerate EDF will maintain a minority share and continue as an Exaion client, while MARA strengthens its European foothold through a new French subsidiary. The move signals MARA’s ambition to blend blockchain and artificial intelligence under a unified infrastructure strategy.
Bitcoin miner MARA aligns with telecom tycoon Xavier Niel
Adding another layer to the deal, telecom billionaire Xavier Niel’s investment arm, NJJ Capital, is set to acquire a 10% interest in MARA France. The partnership introduces powerful synergies between digital infrastructure, telecommunications, and blockchain computing. Both Niel and MARA CEO Fred Thiel will serve on Exaion’s governing board, ensuring that artificial intelligence expansion aligns with strategic oversight from technology veterans.
The revamped board will consist of three representatives from MARA, three from EDF Pulse Ventures, one from NJJ, and Exaion’s co-founder and chief executive. This diverse leadership mix underscores Exaion’s evolution from a niche computing provider into a critical platform bridging digital energy management, AI processing, and high-performance data services.
For Bitcoin miner MARA, the acquisition also represents a calculated hedge. While mining continues to generate steady cash flow, diversifying into artificial intelligence infrastructure provides a more resilient business model in times of market volatility.
Why Bitcoin miner MARA and peers are embracing artificial intelligence
The pivot toward artificial intelligence marks an accelerating trend across the Bitcoin mining sector. Following the 2024 block reward halving, miners faced shrinking margins due to reduced payouts and rising network difficulty. That shift has forced public mining companies to explore alternative revenue channels such as cloud hosting, GPU-based computation, and AI-focused data centers.
HIVE Digital Technologies, once known solely for cryptocurrency mining, has already demonstrated how AI diversification can stabilize revenue even during bearish Bitcoin cycles. Similarly, CoreWeave’s transformation from a crypto miner into a leading AI infrastructure company offers a roadmap that others like TeraWulf, Hut 8, IREN, and MARA are now following.
In this competitive climate, Bitcoin miner MARA is betting that AI workloads can deliver consistent profitability independent of Bitcoin’s price volatility. Data centers optimized for AI computing can serve both private and public sector demand, from model training to cloud-based inference systems. The Exaion acquisition effectively gives MARA a European gateway into that fast-growing ecosystem.
Bitcoin network difficulty adds pressure to miners
While MARA strengthens its AI and cloud capacity, challenges in the mining landscape continue to intensify. The Bitcoin network’s mining difficulty recently surged by around 15% to 144.4 trillion, reversing an earlier decline triggered by severe winter storms that had disrupted energy grids across the United States.
This rise means miners must deploy greater computational power to secure the same rewards, amplifying operational costs just months after the halving event. For Bitcoin miner MARA, these macro pressures further validate its decision to balance mining with data center ventures capable of producing more stable, recurring income.
AI and blockchain convergence reshaping infrastructure economics
MARA’s Exaion move illustrates a broader convergence of two transformative technologies. By merging blockchain integrity with AI scalability, the company is effectively positioning itself at the frontier of digital infrastructure evolution. Energy optimization, decentralized computing, and sustainable power sourcing are now becoming defining factors in how companies like MARA will operate in the years ahead.
Exaion’s European presence also enhances MARA’s diversification beyond North America, offering regulatory, technical, and client diversification advantages. With major energy firms such as EDF maintaining involvement, the partnership bridges traditional utilities with next-generation computation needs.
In this context, the acquisition stands as both a strategic expansion and a statement of intent: that Bitcoin miner MARA intends not merely to survive the post-halving environment but to lead the industry’s transition toward intelligent computing economies.
Disclaimer: Parts of this article were generated with the assistance from AI tools and reviewed by our editorial team to ensure accuracy and adherence to our standards.
