PANews reported on June 17th that, according to CoinDesk, VanEck released a report stating that Bitcoin mining companies face a short-term funding gap of approximately $50 billion and long-term capital needs of approximately $221 billion as they transition to AI infrastructure. Analysts indicated that market focus is shifting from contract signing to execution risk, and currently the industry has only delivered about 25% of its leased AI and high-performance computing capacity. Companies that have missed construction milestones face a "structural downgrade" from investors.

Bitcoin mining companies are turning to AI infrastructure due to declining mining profits. Core Scientific signed a multi-billion dollar hosting agreement with CoreWeave, and companies like TeraWulf, Hut 8, Iren, and Cipher have also announced AI and high-performance computing plans. VanEck points out that the clearest valuation metric currently is available operational power infrastructure, with companies holding AI leases valued at more than 10 times their operational power infrastructure. The report suggests that HIVE, Bitdeer, Keel, and IREN have potential upside, while MARA, CLSK, and RIOT remain more closely correlated with Bitcoin prices.