How to mine cryptocurrencies in 2025? AI and virtual nodes are changing the trend

Trusted Editorial content, reviewed by leading industry experts and seasoned editors. Ad Disclosure Cryptocurrency Mining in 2025 has become unrecognizable. Therefore, it is no longer enough to just know how to mine cryptocurrencies, but also to understand the development of the entire ecosystem. What was once a decentralized and accessible activity has become a highly specialized and capital-intensive industry, dominated by large companies like Bitdeer Technologies Group with their own data centers and access to cheap energy. The impact of artificial intelligence (AI) is fundamentally changing the environment and is reflected in the strategies of these leading miners. At the same time, new infrastructures are emerging that enable individuals to participate in cryptocurrency mining without expensive hardware or energy-intensive operations.

Discover a new project with virtual cryptocurrency mining

Mining companies are transitioning to hybrid models utilizing AI and HPC

The mining industry is undergoing significant changes. While in the past, mining companies relied solely on revenues from cryptocurrency mining, today many are increasingly transforming into technology infrastructure companies. Several are shifting to a hybrid model that combines cryptocurrency mining, AI, and High Performance Computing (HPC) services.

The reason is simple. After the last Bitcoin halving, which in 2024 reduced the block reward from 6.25 to 3.125 BTC, mining profitability sharply declined. Increasing network difficulty, higher energy costs, and decreasing returns per unit of computational power (known as hashprice) have forced miners to seek new sources of income.

According to a report from CoinDesk, the computational power of the Bitcoin network reached a historic 1.05 ZH per second in September 2025. While this confirms the growing strength of the entire ecosystem, it also means that smaller miners have practically lost the chance to profit without large infrastructure.

Source: data.hashrateindex.com

This is why companies like Cipher Mining Inc., IREN Ltd., TeraWulf Inc., and Bitdeer Technologies Group are gaining prominence, choosing to focus on AI compute services. Cipher Mining signed a ten-year contract worth $3 billion with Fluidstack, which is partially supported by Google. The agreement includes leasing commitments valued at $1.4 billion in exchange for a 5.4% stake. This contract is a clear signal that the line between cryptocurrency mining and AI computing is increasingly blurring.

A significant shift is also reported by Bitdeer Technologies Group, which announced the transformation of its main mining sites into AI data centers, including a 570-megawatt complex in Clarington (Ohio, USA). According to the company's statement, in an optimal scenario, it could reach annual revenues exceeding $2 billion by the end of 2026.

“For Bitdeer, AI is an addition to mining, not a replacement,” said Jeff LaBerge, Vice President of Capital Markets and Strategy. “We continue to focus on efficient proprietary cryptocurrency mining while converting selected locations into AI data centers where returns are sustainable.”

Bitcoin accounts for only 10% of the cryptocurrency mining strategy

According to John Todar, an analyst at Needham & Co., investors today value Bitcoin miners based on their potential in computing technology, not on the amount of Bitcoin mined.

“Less than 10% of our conversations with investors concern Bitcoin itself. The rest focus on AI and HPC,” Todar told Bloomberg.

Crypto analyst Wolfie Zhao shares a similar view. He believes that companies transitioning to AI computing pause their hash rate expansion, as some energy capacities are being shifted to more profitable data centers. Companies like Riot Platforms, IREN, and Bitfarms have already announced that they do not plan to increase mining capacity in the near future.

Top 8 cryptocurrency mining companies. Source: companiesmarketcap.com

“The focus is shifting from how much performance we can add to how efficiently we can utilize our energy footprint,” Zhao explained. He added that revenue per 1 MW of energy and EBITDA profit margins are significantly higher in HPC and AI services than in traditional cryptocurrency mining.

As a result, mining companies are gradually transforming into energy-technology firms, utilizing the same infrastructure across different segments of the digital economy.

New concept for everyday users: virtual cryptocurrency mining

While industrial miners are moving toward artificial intelligence, retail investors are looking for ways to mine cryptocurrencies without huge upfront costs. One innovative alternative is the PepeNode (PEPENODE) project, which offers a virtual mining model. It integrates a Mine-To-Earn mechanism that allows users to earn rewards by utilizing their own virtual servers.

Source: pepenode.io

Users can create and upgrade virtual nodes within the platform, which generate rewards based on their strategic deployment in the ecosystem. Rewards are paid in PEPENODE tokens, which serve as utility tokens for the entire system. Some of these tokens can also be staked, providing additional yields. Currently, the staking rewards APY reach up to 681% at the time of writing.

The PEPENODE token is not the only one users can mine. Active miners will also earn other successful meme coins like Pepecoin or Fartcoin.

The project also rewards early investors who participate in the pre-sale of PEPENODE by providing access to more powerful mining devices and nodes. Higher performance means higher rewards for miners.

Source: pepenode.io

The project has implemented a deflationary mechanism, where 70% of tokens used for upgrades are permanently burned. This reduces the circulating supply and supports long-term value growth. The platform has passed a security audit by Coinsult and has already raised over $1.8 million in pre-sale.

The current price of one PEPENODE is $0.0011094. The token is available on the project's official website in exchange for ETH, BNB, USDT, or via debit/credit card payment.

While mining occurs during the pre-sale in off-chain mode, once the token is launched on the market, the entire mining mechanism will move on-chain. This means that holders of mined meme coins will credit their new cryptocurrencies to their crypto accounts. An additional part of the project’s roadmap includes integration of own NFTs, which will be used for upgrades of virtual mining nodes.

Try virtual mining with PepeNode

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