Trump rebrand propels Slovenia’s .si domain registrations

Slovenia's .si internet domain has experienced a remarkable surge in registrations following US President Donald Trump's decision to replace "artificial intelligence" with "super intelligence". This shift transformed the country-code suffix into a popular symbol for the technology sector. Register.si, Slovenia's national domain registry, noted 46,066 new .si domains in September, compared to 3,515 in August.

By early October, the registry had registered over 250,000 .si domains, a significant increase from fewer than 200,000 immediately after Trump's UN announcement. The surge was amplified by Trump's executive order on September 29, directing government entities to use "Super Intelligence" and "SI" instead of "Artificial Intelligence" and "AI" in official communications.

Internet monitoring company Netcraft observed that .si registrations more than doubled on a daily average after the executive order, rising from 4,794 on September 23 to 13,603 by October 1. Register.si has reported consistently high demand, with 46,066 registrations in September and over 12,000 new domains in a 24-hour period in October.

The registry has begun publishing daily charts to track the growth. Trump initially announced the terminology change at the UN General Assembly, arguing that "artificial" made the technology sound fake and proposing the United States use "super intelligence" (SI) in government documents. The executive order formalized this policy across the executive branch.

Although the terminology change has created an unintended commercial effect, the Slovenian registry has warned against assuming the new demand will generate significant revenue for Slovenia. Register.si operates within Arnes, the country's public academic and research network, and charges €10 per registration, with the final retail price set by individual registrars.

The registry has advised trademark owners to register .si domains promptly, as speculative activity can lead to disputes or defensive-registration costs. Netcraft's analysis suggests that speculative activity began before Trump's UN announcement, following social media discussions about alternatives to the term AI. Some domain resellers listed prominent brand names combined with "superintelligence" for resale at $20,000 each.

While the surge provides Slovenia with a unique parallel to Anguilla, the economics differ substantially, as .si registrations are cheaper, and revenue flows through the registry and registrar system.