Riot Platforms Inc (NASDAQ: RIOT) shares gained nearly 16% after the company disclosed that it sold approximately 1,080 Bitcoin to fund a $96 million land acquisition in Rockdale, Texas. At the time of writing, the stock is trading at $19.22.
The BTC sale financed 200 acres intended to support expanded data center operations, marking a notable shift in capital allocation for the Nasdaq-listed miner.
Alongside the purchase, Riot entered into a long-term data center lease and services agreement with semiconductor firm Advanced Micro Devices. The initial deployment includes 25 megawatts of IT load capacity, positioning the site for applications beyond Bitcoin mining, including artificial intelligence and high-performance computing workloads.
The move reflects a broader industry trend as large miners reassess asset use amid rising network difficulty and tighter margins. By monetizing bitcoin reserves to invest in infrastructure, Riot joins peers pursuing diversified revenue streams tied to data centers and AI, underscoring the growing convergence between crypto mining, energy-intensive computing, and institutional technology demand.
