MARA Holdings has completed the purchase of a majority stake in French computing infrastructure operator Exaion, deepening its push into artificial intelligence (AI) and cloud services.

The deal, which was first agreed in August 2025 with EDF Pulse Ventures, gives MARA France a 64% stake in Exaion after obtaining the required regulatory approvals, the bitcoin mining company said in an announcement on Friday. French energy giant EDF will remain a minority shareholder and continue as a client of the company.

The investment also creates a broader coalition. NJJ Capital, the investment vehicle of entrepreneur Xavier Niel, will acquire a 10% stake in MARA France as part of the partnership with MARA.

Exaion’s governance will reflect the new ownership structure. The company’s board of directors will include three representatives from MARA, three from EDF Pulse Ventures and one from NJJ, along with the CEO and co-founder of Exaion. Both Neil and MARA CEO Fred Thiel will hold seats on the Board of Directors.

Related to: Bitcoin miners are seeking 30 gigawatts of AI capacity to offset hash price pressure

Bitcoin miners turn to artificial intelligence amid pressure

Bitcoin mining companies are increasingly turning to artificial intelligence and data center computing as pressure on mining economics increases. After a halving of block rewards in 2024 and rising network difficulty squeezed margins, many publicly traded miners began adopting a hybrid model, keeping mining as a source of cash flow while building more stable revenue from cloud AI and high-performance computing services.

HIVE Digital Technologies is one example of this shift. The company reported strong results even during a decline in Bitcoin prices, supported by the expansion of its artificial intelligence operations. CoreWeave has also moved from cryptocurrency mining to become a major AI infrastructure provider after demand for GPU mining declined.

Other companies, including TeraWulf, Hut 8, IREN, and MARA, are repurposing mining facilities and power capabilities in AI data centers.

In November last year, CleanSpark announced plans to raise approximately US$1.13 billion in net proceeds, and up to US$1.28 billion if additional bonds are purchased, through US$1.15 billion convertible notes to fund the expansion of its bitcoin mining and data center operations.

Related to: Cryptocurrency mining company Bitdeer falls 17% after offering $300 million in debt

Bitcoin mining difficulty jumps by 15%

Meanwhile, Bitcoin mining difficulty rose about 15% to 144.4 trillion on Friday, reversing an 11% drop earlier in the month, the largest decline since China’s mining ban in 2021. The previous fall came after severe winter storms across the United States knocked out power grids and temporarily forced many miners offline, sending the hash rate sharply lower.