Former OpenAI Researcher Aschenbrenner Boosts Bitcoin Mining Holdings to $136.7B, Builds $74.6B Semiconductor Short

According to CoinDesk, former OpenAI researcher Leopold Aschenbrenner disclosed that his investment holdings increased from $5.5 billion to $136.7 billion as of March 31, 2026. Aschenbrenner significantly increased positions in bitcoin mining companies including Iren, Core Scientific, Riot Platforms, CleanSpark, Bitfarms, Bitdeer, and Hive Digital, betting on their power resources and data center capabilities amid growing AI compute demand. Simultaneously, he established approximately $74.6 billion in semiconductor short positions through put options on the VanEck Semiconductor ETF, NVIDIA, Oracle, and Broadcom.