Bitcoin miner MARA Holdings is making its greatest AI play thus far, signing a $168 million deal to purchase a 64% stake in Exaion, a subsidiary of French state-owned Électricité de France, one of many world’s largest low-carbon vitality producers.
The settlement, introduced on Tuesday, consists of an possibility for MARA to lift its stake to 75% by 2027 with a further $127 million funding, contingent on efficiency milestones.
At present, MARA and @EDFofficiel signed an funding settlement in subsidiary Exaion to broaden MARA’s international AI/HPC capabilities.
📄 Learn the press launch: https://t.co/mH0z6X8NWK pic.twitter.com/HHUyRXQDEj
— MARA (@MARA) August 11, 2025
Exaion works with Nvidia
Exaion develops high-performance computing (HPC) knowledge facilities and gives AI and cloud infrastructure in partnership with the likes of AI heavyweight Nvidia and Massive 4 accounting agency Deloitte.
The settlement now positions Exaion to transition to larger-scale worldwide deployment to serve enterprise and public-sector shoppers, MARA mentioned.
The transaction is anticipated to shut within the fourth quarter, topic to crucial approvals.
MARA’s CEO and chairman Fred Thiel added: “As knowledge safety and vitality effectivity grow to be prime priorities for each governments and enterprises, MARA and Exaion’s mixed experience would allow us to ship safe and scalable cloud options constructed for the way forward for AI.”
AI enlargement comes as BTC mining issue surges
MARA’s enlargement in AI comes amid a steep rise in Bitcoin (BTC) mining issue, driving up vitality consumption and placing stress on miner profitability margins until they adapt with extra environment friendly gear or decrease vitality prices.
MARA is the most important Bitcoin miner by Bitcoin manufacturing, community hash charge, and market cap, however has been one of many final gamers within the business to make a big push into AI.
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In further feedback on Monday by way of X Areas, Thiel famous that MARA “intentionally selected to not be within the first wave” of increasing into AI and HPC knowledge middle companies like different Bitcoin miners.
“Reasonably than making an attempt to retrofit mining services, we’re investing in a companion who already has the experience, has the shopper base and has the monitor file within the area,” the MARA boss mentioned, whereas including that “it permits us to maneuver rapidly, intelligently and credibly.”
MARA’s new BTC manufacturing competitor
In July, MARA mined 703 Bitcoin — a uncommon loss to competitor agency IREN, which posted an organization file 728 Bitcoin in the identical month. MARA’s drop in manufacturing was seemingly pushed by fewer machines being lively for Bitcoin mining.
Nevertheless, MARA noticed its income rise 64% year-on-year to $238 million within the second quarter, whereas it nonetheless holds 50,000 Bitcoin value practically $6 billion, making it the second-largest Bitcoin treasury after Michael Saylor’s Technique.
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