# Riot shares jump 10 percent after $9.1B deal despite quarterly loss > Source: > Published: 2026-08-10 23:26:20+00:00 Riot Platforms posted a steep second-quarter loss, but investors appeared more interested in the company’s latest push into artificial intelligence infrastructure. The Bitcoin miner reported a net loss of $237.2 million for the quarter, even as revenue rose 14 percent year-over-year to $174.2 million. Despite the loss, RIOT shares jumped more than 10 percent in after-hours trading after the company unveiled a 20-year, $9.1 billion data center agreement with an unnamed AI lab. The deal marks one of Riot’s biggest moves yet [beyond Bitcoin mining](https://thecoinheadlines.com/crypto/bitcoin-miners-are-holding-as-exchange-supply-nearly-disappears/article-27157/) and into the fast-growing market for AI infrastructure. ## What is the deal about? Like several other miners, Riot has been looking for ways to use its power resources and large-scale facilities for businesses outside of crypto. Data centers designed for artificial intelligence require enormous amounts of electricity and computing infrastructure, two areas where Bitcoin miners already have experience. The agreement gives Riot a chance to turn that infrastructure into a long-term source of revenue that is less dependent on Bitcoin prices. For mining companies, that is becoming increasingly important. Bitcoin mining remains a cyclical business, with earnings heavily influenced by cryptocurrency prices, energy costs and mining difficulty. The 2024 Bitcoin halving, which cut mining rewards in half, has added more pressure on the sector and encouraged companies to look for alternative revenue streams. That shift has helped fuel a growing trend across the industry, with miners such as MARA, Hut 8, Bitdeer and others expanding into AI and high-performance computing. Riot’s latest deal stands out because of its scale. A 20-year agreement worth $9.1 billion could provide the company with a [more stable and predictable income](https://thecoinheadlines.com/crypto/bitcoin-miner-terawulf-lands-20-year-ai-deal-with-anthropic-worth-up-to-19b/article-24987/) stream compared with traditional Bitcoin mining operations. Investors appeared willing to look past the company’s quarterly loss because of that long-term opportunity. ## Riot posts heavy losses Riot’s financial results highlight some of the challenges miners continue to face. While revenue increased, the company remained deeply in the red, showing that building and operating large infrastructure businesses can be expensive. The company will also need to execute successfully on the AI project. Converting or developing facilities for AI workloads often requires major investments in cooling systems, networking equipment and power management. Even so, the market reaction suggests investors increasingly see AI infrastructure as a key part of the future for Bitcoin miners. The story is no longer just about producing Bitcoin. For companies like Riot, the real value may lie in something else entirely: access to energy, land and infrastructure that can be used to power the next generation of AI data centers. Riot’s quarterly numbers show the company is still working through the financial pressures of the mining business. But the $9.1 billion agreement suggests investors are betting that the company’s future could be shaped as much by AI as by Bitcoin.