Riot Platforms, Inc. (Nasdaq: RIOT), a popular Bitcoin (BTC) mining company, announced on Jan. 6 that it sold 1,818 BTC in December 2025. So far, it is the Castle Rock, Colorado-headquartered company's largest single-month Bitcoin sale. Related: J.P. Morgan revamps rating for 3 crypto stocks Riot sells $161.6 million worth of Bitcoin in December Riot currently operates Bitcoin mining facilities in central Texas and Kentucky, with engineering and fabrication capabilities in Denver and Houston. Bitcoin mi ...

Core Insights - Bitcoin miners are experiencing severe economic challenges, with mining revenue dropping to unsustainable levels due to falling Bitcoin prices and high network difficulty [1][4][6] - A significant number of miners are transitioning from Bitcoin mining to AI compute hubs, driven by better return profiles [2][8] Industry Overview - Bitcoin's hashprice has reached an all-time low, falling below $35 per petahash, indicating a critical profitability crisis for miners [3][10] - The profitability of Bitcoin mining has plummeted, leading many operators to shut down their rigs or repurpose their facilities for AI [4][5] Market Dynamics - Despite a decrease in Bitcoin prices, mining difficulty remains high, resulting in miners expending more energy for reduced rewards, creating a historic profitability crunch [6][7] - Miners have been liquidating their Bitcoin reserves rapidly, with 30,000 BTC sold in just 48 hours, marking one of the fastest liquidation events of the year [6] Strategic Shifts - Major mining firms, such as Bitfarms, are pivoting towards AI, with plans to convert significant portions of their mining capacity into AI infrastructure by 2027 [9] - AI workloads are reported to generate 2–5 times more revenue per kilowatt-hour compared to Bitcoin mining, making the transition appealing [11]