2026-01-01 21:21:27

Last year, the gold market soared rapidly, while our crypto market was instead holding back for a big move. The real highlight is actually in 2026 — mining farms are switching to AI, assets are being tokenized, and even traditional finance is jumping on the bandwagon.

Today, let’s skip the fluff and analyze with data: which coins in 2026 can truly withstand the cycle?

**Mining Farms Turning to AI: Survival or Transformation?**

In the 2025 market, the mining costs for US-listed mining farms have skyrocketed to $110,000 per Bitcoin. Seeing this number, it’s understandable that many farms are collectively "switching careers" to AI cloud computing. They already have cheap electricity (3 to 5 cents per kWh), ample bandwidth, and are naturally the best platform for AI computing power. This isn’t just out of necessity; it’s a resource allocation inevitability — crypto mining farms are likely to become the cornerstone of decentralized AI infrastructure.

**Four Key Directions in 2026**

Layer2 will become increasingly hot. Top players like Arbitrum and Optimism will definitely benefit from the expansion of the Ethereum ecosystem, but the dark horse might emerge from zkSync and Starknet.

The RWA (Real-World Asset) track will explode. Projects like Maker and Ondo, which tokenize government bonds, are now attracting traditional institutional funds. These may seem boring, but they are indeed breaking down the wall between crypto and traditional finance.

The integration of AI and crypto is becoming tighter. Projects like Bittensor and Render combine decentralized computing power with AI training, and this direction will garner more attention in 2026.

BTC1,53%

ARB8,06%

OP10,22%

ETH1,79%

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GateUser-afe07a92

· 8h ago

Mining farms switching to AI, to put it simply, is being forced onto the bandwagon, but it’s actually a pretty good way out. The key still depends on who can truly capitalize on the benefits of cheap electricity. --- RWA (Real World Assets) is indeed quietly making big profits; traditional finance entering the space is only a matter of time, but there are only a few projects that can truly be implemented. --- zkSync and Starknet? Whether these dark horses can emerge is really hard to say; betting wrong could turn you into a bagholder. --- 2026 looks lively, but most of the current entrants are probably going to be the ones to take the fall; that’s just how this circle works. --- Is Bittensor reliable? It always feels like the AI + crypto concept is being hyped too aggressively; how real is the actual demand? --- Bitcoin mining costs have broken 110,000 yuan. As soon as I saw that number, I knew the crypto community would get anxious again, but the mining farms are actually doing better than we imagine. --- Projects like Maker and Ondo are indeed doing serious work, unlike some coins that are just storytelling. But will traditional institutions really come in? Or are they just here to watch the show.

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GasWaster

· 8h ago

honestly, miners pivoting to AI compute makes sense but nobody's talking about the bridge fees we're gonna bleed dry getting onto these L2s in 2026... zkSync hype is real but my gut says we'll all be rage-quitting over optimization windows again lmk

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GateUser-44a00d6c

· 9h ago

Switching the mining farm to AI is basically being forced onto the bandwagon. Let's just wait and see the show in 2026.

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HypotheticalLiquidator

· 9h ago

The cost to mine one Bitcoin at $110,000 is so much lower than the liquidation price... Mining farms turning to AI cloud computing, frankly, is still about avoiding systemic risk. The real issue is that this bet is placed on 2026. What if market sentiment reverses? When lending rates soar, we've seen this chain of liquidations too many times. Layer2, RWA, AI computing power... sounds good, but where is the risk control threshold? Once the dominoes fall, it's all over.

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SatoshiChallenger

· 9h ago

Ironically, people were saying the same thing about 2025 last year... and look at the result? Data shows that the previous "inevitable transformation" mining farm project had a liquidation rate of 87%. I just ask, why would this time be any different? A $110,000 mining cost is considered solid evidence? I'm not trying to be difficult; it actually indicates that the entire ecosystem has reached a point where it needs to be cleared out. RWA tokenized government bonds sound appealing, but honestly— which traditional financial institution would really put their money on the blockchain? Don’t be ridiculous. I've been watching Bittensor and Render for half a year, and they are still in the pie-in-the-sky stage... I bet no more than 12% chance they will take off in 2026. Go ahead and go all-in, I’ll just watch.

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ReverseTrendSister

· 9h ago

The cost to mine one Bitcoin is $110,000, so the mining farms can't keep turning wildly. Switching mining machines to AI computing power boards—this logic is indeed brilliant... Cheap electricity gives a natural advantage. Will RWA really explode? Projects like Maker seem to have been lukewarm all along. Bittensor and Render, these two really have something, worth keeping an eye on. 2026 will truly be a reshuffle; it's best to get on board early. Layer2 competition is too fierce; it feels like making money is getting harder and harder. Traditional finance is about to stir things up; our broken market is about to face big changes. Can zkSync and Starknet really turn things around? I haven't seen it yet. Computing power + AI + blockchain sounds great, but how many can actually be implemented? Gold is rising so fast, but the crypto market is holding back—it's quite interesting.

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