Riot Platforms (RIOT) & CleanSpark (CLSK): Bitcoin Miners are Becoming AI Landlords. Riot Just Signed a $9 Billion Lease to Prove It

Riot Platforms (RIOT) has inked a $9.1 billion, 20-year computing agreement with Anthropic, which includes a $9.8 billion revenue stream from a Rockdale, Texas data center campus. The deal could potentially grow to $16.1 billion if it is extended twice, with five additional years. Shares of RIOT surged over 20% following the announcement, before retracting most of the gain.

RIOT and CleanSpark (CLSK) are both transitioning from bitcoin mining to leasing power and data center space to AI companies. RIOT's data center deal with Anthropic is expected to generate $9.1 billion in revenue over 20 years, following a similar deal with AMD. RIOT's second-quarter revenue beat expectations, reaching $174.2 million, driven by the data center business.

Analyst Michael Donovan reiterated a buy rating and a $29 price target for RIOT. The pivot to AI tenants comes from weak bitcoin mining economics, where falling prices, increased competition, and decreasing mining rewards force miners into losses. RIOT now relies on long-term AI tenant contracts, hoping customers like Anthropic will need the site for the next two decades.

CleanSpark also signed a 20-year, $6.6 billion lease agreement at its Sandersville site. However, the company has not yet started receiving revenue from the Sandersville lease. Both RIOT and CLSK have seen increased interest from hedge funds, but RIOT remains the more favored investment among them.