Bitcoin Miners Pivot to AI and HPC as Hashprice Stays Low and Competition Rises

In Q1 2026, publicly traded Bitcoin miners including Core Scientific, Cipher, and IREN reduced parts of their mining operations and redirected power and infrastructure toward AI and high-performance computing. The shift comes as mining revenues face historically low hashprice levels and tougher network competition, making AI/HPC colocation and cloud deals a growing earnings driver. The article argues miners are increasingly valued for power access, cooling, and infrastructure control rather than Bitcoin output alone.