"AI killed Bitcoin": Final opponent or most important ally for crypto?

• Crypto influencers issue dire warning: AI is killing crypto
• Experts: No weakening of the crypto network discernible
• BlackRock sees symbiotic relationship between crypto and AI

“AI finally killed Bitcoin. It became Bitcoin mining’s biggest competitor. Not another cryptocurrency. AI. Because both industries compete for the same thing: electricity.” With these words, crypto influencer Ran Neuner sparked a heated debate within the crypto community via the short message service X. But what is behind the claim that artificial intelligence, of all things, could become the “final opponent” for Bitcoin miners?

AI has killed Bitcoin forever.

It became Bitcoin mining’s biggest competitor.

Not another crypto.

AI.

Because both industries compete for the same thing:
electricity.

And right now, AI is willing to pay much more for it.

Bitcoin mining revenue per MW:
$57 – $129

AI data… pic.twitter.com/gN23lvRSl2

– Ran Neuner (@cryptomanran) March 15, 2026

AI as an “electricity killer” for miners

In a YouTube video titled “How AI Just Killed Bitcoin Forever!” Neuner warns of the dramatic shift in the energy market, which poses an existential challenge to Bitcoin.

For a long time, Bitcoin mining was the main consumer of excess energy capacity worldwide. But with the rapid rise of AI, the tide has turned: both industries are now competing for the same limited resource – electricity. The crucial difference lies in the cost-effectiveness, says Neuner. While Bitcoin mining generates around $60 to $130 per megawatt (MW), AI infrastructure hosting generates between $200 and $500 over the same period. This huge gap is causing more and more miners to rethink their strategy.

In addition, AI computing is not only significantly more profitable, but also delivers stronger returns, while Bitcoin miners often make losses at current prices.

AI is thus becoming an “electricity killer” for the mining ecosystem. Companies like Core Scientific and Hut 8 are already making a massive change and signing billion-dollar contracts for AI data centers. According to Neuner, a particularly alarming signal is the withdrawal of industry veterans such as Jihan Wu, the co-founder of Bitmain, who is now increasingly focusing his mining operations on AI infrastructure.

Why Bitcoin will survive despite the AI ​​boom

Analysts like Willy Woo, however, believe that the claim that AI “killed” Bitcoin is technically unfounded, as BENZINGA reports. Woo argues that the price of electricity only affects competition among miners, but is irrelevant to basic network security. Thanks to the automatic difficulty adjustment, the Bitcoin system remains stable even if miners leave due to high energy costs. Although CoinShares predicts that the share of mining revenue among diversified companies will fall to less than 20 percent by the end of 2026, there is no sign of a weakening of the network so far.

BlackRock: Natural symbiosis between crypto & AI

For BlackRock, artificial intelligence is not a Bitcoin killer, but rather the decisive driver for the next market phase, while interest in broad altcoin portfolios is massively dwindling. According to Robbie Mitchnick, head of digital assets at BlackRock, institutional investors are focusing almost exclusively on Bitcoin and Ethereum because the majority of the remaining tokens are considered short-lived “nonsense” with no long-term relevance, CoinDesk reports. Instead of relying on speculative individual values, the focus is on the function of cryptocurrencies as a technological infrastructure for the AI ​​economy. Mitchnick describes a “natural symbiosis” between AI as computer-aided intelligence and crypto as the corresponding digital money, since AI-controlled systems will hardly be dependent on classic banking networks in the future: “AI agents will very likely not use, you know, Fedwire and SWIFT. What is crypto? Crypto is computer-native currency… AI is computer-native data and intelligence. And so there is a natural symbiosis,” says Mitchnick.

This development is also already evident operationally in the mining sector: more and more Bitcoin miners are increasingly using their resources and data centers for AI-related tasks in order to benefit from more stable income and the increasing demand for computing power.

It remains to be seen whether the AI ​​will actually become the “Bitcoin killer” or rather the most important ally. However, one thing is clear: competition for electricity is forcing the industry to develop further.

Evelyn Schmal, editorial team at finanzen.net

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