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Riot Platforms Signs 10-Year Deal with AMD
Riot Platforms announced a significant partnership with Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) on January 16, 2026. The Bitcoin mining company will provide AMD with 25 megawatts (MW) of load capacity for artificial intelligence and high-performance computing (HPC) applications at its facility in Rockdale, Texas, over a ten-year period.
The Rockdale site is one of the largest Bitcoin mining facilities globally, boasting a 700 MW grid connection, its own water supply, and fiber optic connections. To retrofit the site for AMD's AI and HPC projects, Riot plans to invest $89.8 million, with the initial commissioning set for January 2026 and full handover expected by May 2026.
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“This partnership is a confirmation of Riot's infrastructure, our development capabilities, the attractiveness of our locations, our immediately available power capacity, and our ability to provide innovative solutions that meet the needs of top tenants,” said Jason Les, CEO of Riot.
Riot expects to generate approximately $311 million from the rental of the retrofitted infrastructure over the initial contract term. Additionally, Riot has granted AMD several expansion options, including three five-year extensions and the ability to increase capacity by an additional 75 MW, potentially raising the total order volume to around $1 billion if all options are exercised.
In conjunction with the AMD deal, Riot also announced the acquisition of 200 acres of land in Milam County for $96 million, funded entirely through the sale of approximately 1,080 Bitcoin from its balance sheet. This acquisition expands Riot's total land holdings to over 1,100 acres across its Corsicana and Rockdale facilities.
Overall, the AMD partnership positions Riot as a leader in the evolving landscape of AI and HPC infrastructure, reflecting a broader trend among North American mining companies to diversify their business models beyond Bitcoin mining.
“To advance high-performance computing and AI, AMD needs partners who can keep pace with our speed and scale,” stated Hasmukh Ranjan, CIO of AMD.
In summary, Riot Platforms is strategically expanding its operations through a long-term partnership with AMD, which could significantly enhance its revenue potential and operational capacity in the AI and HPC sectors.
Rare Luck: Two Solo Miners Find Bitcoin Block
In an extraordinary event, two solo Bitcoin miners independently found a block in the same week, a rare occurrence in the mining community. Each miner received a full block reward of nearly 3.16 Bitcoin, which at current prices amounts to over €250,000.
Typically, miners join mining pools to increase their chances of finding blocks, but this week’s events highlight the unpredictability and potential rewards of solo mining. The likelihood of a solo miner successfully processing a block is low, making this achievement particularly noteworthy.
Bitcoin mining involves solving complex cryptographic puzzles to add blocks of transactions to the blockchain, ensuring the network's security and integrity. The competition among miners is fierce, requiring specialized hardware and a stable, cost-effective power supply.
In summary, the success of these two solo miners underscores the unpredictable nature of Bitcoin mining and the significant rewards that can come from independent efforts.
Bitcoin Hashrate Falls Below 1 Zettahash for the First Time Since September 2025
Bitcoin's network hashrate has dropped below 1 zettahash per second for the first time since mid-September 2025, currently measuring at 988 exahashes per second. This decline ends a four-month period of sustained hashrate above the symbolic threshold of 1 ZH/s and represents a 15% decrease from the peak of 1,162 EH/s recorded on October 19.
Simultaneously, mining difficulty has retreated to 146.47 trillion, following a 1.2% adjustment on January 8. This marks the first network adjustment of 2026 after reaching an all-time high of 155.97 trillion in late October.
The hashrate decline coincides with broader challenges in the mining sector, as AI data centers increasingly compete for the same power infrastructure that Bitcoin miners have historically relied on for cost-effective energy access. This competition is further squeezing margins across the industry.
In summary, the recent drop in Bitcoin's hashrate reflects ongoing challenges in the mining sector, exacerbated by competition from AI infrastructure and rising energy costs.
Sources:
- Expansion der Bitcoin-Mining-Unternehmen: Riot Platforms schließt 10-Jahres-Deal mit AMD
- Seltenes Glück: Zwei Solo-Miner finden Bitcoin-Block
- Bitcoin-Hashrate fällt erstmals seit September 2025 unter 1 Zettahash
