Riot Platforms is making a major shift toward AI infrastructure after signing a 20-year, $9.1 billion agreement with Anthropic covering 191 megawatts at its Rockdale, Texas campus, with expansion options that could dramatically increase the contract's value. Matt explains why this is a smart way for Bitcoin miners to monetize existing power and data-center infrastructure during weaker mining conditions, while remaining skeptical that today's AI compute requirements will still look the same two decades from now.
The episode also covers Trump Media's $238 million second-quarter loss, the SEC preparing its first major crypto rulemaking effort under Paul Atkins, the ongoing political fight over how Democrats approach crypto regulation, and FlightAware suing Kalshi over the use of its flight data in prediction markets. Matt also revisits Strategy's increasingly complex Bitcoin treasury model and closes by arguing that AI infrastructure will likely become far more efficient as models, chips, and software continue improving.
Happy Hodling, Everyone.
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