Last updated on January 3rd, 2026 at 01:16 pm
Quick Breakdown
- Bitfury, one of Bitcoin’s oldest mining firms, is shifting from mining to become a tech investment leader, pledging $1 billion for AI and crypto startups starting Q4 2025.
- The company’s move comes as mining costs surge, forcing many major firms to turn to AI, high-performance computing, and innovation-driven diversification.
- The $1 billion investment fund, called the “Ethical Technology & AI” initiative, will strategically invest in areas such as AI, quantum computing, self-sovereign identity (SSI), and transparent decentralized systems.
Bitcoin mining firm Bitfury is shifting focus to launch a significant $1 billion investment fund called the “Ethical Technology & AI” initiative. Over the next year, $200 million is slated for deployment, with the remaining capital to be distributed in the years following. The fund will strategically invest in areas such as AI, quantum computing, self-sovereign identity (SSI), and transparent, decentralized systems, according to a report from Fortune.
CEO Val Vavilov says Bitfury plans to focus on ethical technology, decentralized systems, and cryptography-based identity solutions, building on past successes such as LiquidStack and Axelera AI. This shift mirrors a broader industry trend, as miners adapt to tighter margins and reshape their business models to stay resilient and relevant in the evolving crypto and tech landscape.
I’ve always believed technology must serve human progress — and that only happens when founders and investors share the same mission. This next chapter for @BitfuryGroup is about that mission: supporting the next generation of innovators building ethical, people-centric…
— Val Vavilov (@ValVavilov) November 18, 2025
Bitfury’s strategic pivot reshapes the crypto innovation landscape
Bitfury, a pioneering Bitcoin miner since 2011, has announced its largest-ever transformation, shifting away from mining to operate a $1 billion investment fund for ethical and emerging technology startups in artificial intelligence and crypto sectors. Funding will draw upon successful past investments and Bitfury’s investor network, with deployment expected to begin in late 2025.
CEO Val Vavilov emphasized closing the gap between innovation and ethics, aiming to support founders who build technologies with long-term societal benefits. Bitfury’s mining legacy includes founding top miners Cipher Mining and Hut 8, and the adoption of immersion-cooling tech for AI data centres.
Mining sector faces profit squeeze, fuels industry-wide diversification
The Bitcoin mining industry is experiencing tight profitability, as difficulty has surged by 52% over the past year while Bitcoin’s price has dropped by over 26% from its October peak. As a result, stock prices for most major mining firms declined sharply last month, prompting miners to seek new opportunities in AI and high-performance computing.
Companies like Bitfarms are repurposing their mining sites to power AI, signalling a significant shift in the industry’s business models. With its deep experience in both AI hardware and decentralized tech, Bitfury is right at the forefront of these changes, and its strategic pivot points to new ways crypto can connect with next-gen digital innovation. Meanwhile, Cango Inc. is making headlines in the Bitcoin mining world, hitting a major milestone just a year after moving away from China’s automotive transaction services. The company has grown into a 50 EH/s global Bitcoin mining operation, with facilities in the US, Oman, Ethiopia, and Paraguay.
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