What To Know:
- Orion Compute is expanding into large-scale Bitcoin mining and AI data centers, prioritizing energy-abundant regions such as West Texas.
- The firm aims to target developing markets where underutilized power and lower costs can support long-term infrastructure growth.
- The company is using a phased, energy-first deployment model, starting with lower-cost AI hardware and dual-purpose facilities that support both AI workloads and Bitcoin mining.
Orion Compute, founded by early Bitcoin investor Nick Rose, is expanding into large-scale Bitcoin mining and artificial intelligence data center infrastructure, signaling a renewed focus on energy economics as competition for power intensifies across global compute markets. The company said its strategy centers on deploying infrastructure in regions with abundant, underutilized energy, beginning with West Texas and extending into developing markets as regulatory and grid conditions allow.
More Energy-First Bitcoin Mining Facilities To Take Shape
The expansion comes as global investment in AI data centers accelerates and pressure mounts on established markets in North America and Western Europe. Operators in those regions are facing rising electricity prices, grid congestion, and frequent curtailment, factors that have complicated long-term planning for both AI compute and crypto mining. Orion Compute is positioning itself to sidestep those constraints by targeting locations where power availability remains stable and costs are structurally lower.
“One of the most overlooked advantages of developing markets is the scale of untapped, low-cost power that already exists,” Rose said in a statement. “By prioritizing energy economics first, rather than chasing hype cycles, we believe it is possible to build AI and mining infrastructure that is both capital-efficient and resilient over the long term.”
In the near term, the company is prioritizing West Texas, a region known for surplus generation capacity driven by wind and solar buildouts. Orion Compute said the area offers a testing ground for its broader strategy before moving into emerging regions where energy infrastructure is underused but regulatory clarity is still evolving.
Orion Compute is adopting a phased deployment model to manage capital exposure and regulatory risk. Initial rollouts will rely on lower-cost AI hardware, including Nvidia A100 GPUs, which allows the firm to establish energy access and operational workflows without heavy upfront investment. As regulatory frameworks mature and market demand becomes clearer, the company plans to scale with more advanced hardware (including H100-class GPUs).
The company is also developing dual-purpose facilities capable of supporting both AI workloads and Bitcoin mining. These sites are designed to operate on a mix of on-grid and off-grid power, for a flexible load management and continuous utilization of energy resources. Orion Compute said this approach is supported through collaboration with Terra Solis, which provides location-agnostic energy technologies aligned with a cost-first infrastructure model.
Rose has argued that proximity to traditional capital hubs is becoming less important than access to reliable, affordable power. With energy markets expected to remain volatile, Orion Compute’s strategy emphasizes stable operating margins and long-term continuity of power supply over rapid expansion in saturated regions. The timing of the move fits against the backdrop of significant growth and consolidation in the Bitcoin mining sector. In 2025, the global Bitcoin hash rate reached a record 943 Exahashes per second in May, marking a 38 percent increase year over year. Publicly listed mining companies now control about 326 EH per second of that total, up from 150 EH per second the previous year.
Despite the Bitcoin halving in April 2024, which reduced block rewards to 3.125 BTC, miners generated an estimated $11.2 billion in revenue in 2025, reflecting 7.1 percent year-over-year growth. The US continues to dominate global mining activity with a 44 % share of the hash rate, followed by Kazakhstan at 12 percent, Russia at 10.5 %, and Canada at 9%. Energy consumption remains a central issue. The average cost to mine one Bitcoin in the US rose to about $17,100 in 2025, pressuring smaller operators. Hardware prices, however, have declined sharply, with ASIC costs falling to around $16 per terahash from $80 in 2022, while newer machines offer materially improved energy efficiency.
Also Read: China’s Bitcoin Mining Game Quietly Rebounds Despite 2021 Ban
