Bitcoin: The Currency of the AI-Driven Economy, Says CryptoQuant CEO

In a recent statement, CryptoQuant’s CEO, Ki Young Ju, has brought back the concept that Bitcoin equates to energy. He proposed that proof-of-work technology is evolving to serve as the core settlement layer for an economy directed by artificial intelligence (AI), where energy rather than narratives dictates value. Ju expressed that Bitcoin is uniquely positioned to price energy accurately in ways that traditional commodities cannot.

Key Takeaways

Bitcoin is being positioned as an essential currency for an AI-driven economy.
The traditional criticisms of Bitcoin regarding energy consumption are being reevaluated with a focus on the economic value of mining infrastructure.
Miners are seen as crucial to the stability and reliability of energy usage in the shifting landscape of AI and energy economics.
A significant portion of Bitcoin mining now utilizes sustainable energy sources, changing the environmental narrative.
Moving forward, discussions will likely focus on the integration of miners within AI infrastructure and energy markets.

“Energy is money. Bitcoin precisely measures the value of energy,” Ju stated. “Gold also carries energy value, but it fails to offer precise measurements because it lacks digital form. Bitcoin is the currency of an AI-enhanced energy economy.”

Understanding the Connection Between AI, Energy, and Bitcoin

Ju’s remarks coincided with a comprehensive post by Simon Kim, the CEO of Hashed, titled "Monetizing Energy: Redefining Bitcoin’s Role in the AI Era." Kim's argument asserts that the previous critique of Bitcoin—labeling it as an "energy waster"—is outdated, replaced by the emerging needs of AI data centers that are reshaping the value of mining infrastructures.

According to Kim, the discussion around Bitcoin has shifted from ethical concerns to practical economics of power grids and industrial realities. He argued, “Historically, the main criticism against Bitcoin was focused on energy consumption, with accusations of it ‘wasting electricity’ and ‘damaging the environment.’ These claims have persisted for over ten years, becoming accepted wisdom. However, by 2026, this conversation has moved beyond mere moral outrage.”

In his analysis, Kim identified capital flows as a significant indicator of this transformation. He highlighted the Abu Dhabi sovereign wealth fund, Mubadala, allocating $437 million to BlackRock’s Bitcoin ETF in Q4 2024, followed by a collaboration with Oman’s sovereign fund to support Crusoe Energy, initiating the Middle East’s first flare-gas mining operation. Moreover, in October 2025, Mubadala co-led Crusoe’s Series E funding round with a substantial investment of $1.375 billion, valuing the company at over $10 billion. Crusoe later decided to divest its Bitcoin mining division to concentrate solely on AI infrastructure.

Kim’s thesis posits that miners have already accomplished the essential groundwork required by AI: ensuring a stable power supply, managing high-density thermal systems, and developing operations that can adapt to flexible demands. He recalled a statement by Elon Musk during a podcast in November 2025: “Energy is the true currency. This is why I state that Bitcoin is fundamentally energy-based. Laws alone cannot generate energy.”

Throughout Kim’s post, he emphasized the economic importance of electrical constraints, including locality, immediacy, and energy losses during transmission. He pointed out instances such as Sichuan’s hydropower curtailed output, which reached over 20 billion kWh by 2020, arguing that miners have become pivotal buyers for energy that cannot be efficiently utilized or stored.

Kim claimed that throughout the globe, curtailed renewable energy surpasses 200TWh each year, indicating over $20 billion in economic loss. He positioned Bitcoin mining as an immediate pathway to monetize excess energy.

In Texas, he referenced ERCOT’s classification of mining activities as a controllable load resource, noting that Riot Blockchain significantly reduced power consumption by 98–99% during the harsh winter storm of 2022, earning $31.7 million in power credits during an August 2023 heatwave—exceeding what it would have earned through regular mining that month. This perspective shifts the comparison from “miners versus data centers” to “reliable premium workloads versus flexible demand that aids grid stability.”

Kim also remarked on how the environmental criticisms towards mining are slowly changing, as the energy sources powering the industry are becoming increasingly sustainable. He revealed that now over 52% of mining derives from renewable energy sources, a significant rise, while reliance on coal has decreased from 36% to under 9%.

Addressing methane emissions, he framed flare-gas mining as a means to reduce environmental impact. Methane has a greenhouse effect approximately “80 times” stronger than CO2; however, when flared, 93% is combusted, resulting in a mere 7% escape. In contrast, using gas for mining achieves over 99% combustion efficiency, effectively reducing CO2-equivalent emissions by more than 60% compared to flaring.

Ju suggested that with AI amplifying the demand for reliable power and rapid infrastructure developments, Bitcoin’s value proposition might increasingly be framed within energy market terminologies: measuring, monetizing, and transporting scarcity.

Kim concluded by urging a focus shift from total consumption figures to the end results of these systems, implying that the next phase of the conversation will be centered on the role miners play within the landscape of AI-driven infrastructure rather than their existence itself: “AI requires continuous uptime; Bitcoin thrives where flexibility holds value. While governments can issue currency, they cannot create energy. The proof-of-work in Bitcoin is the mechanism that translates this physical reality into the digital economic realm.”

As of the latest updates, Bitcoin is trading at $86,779.

Bitcoin price chart