Juan Leon, a senior crypto research analyst at Bitwise, believes that the combined demand for AI and crypto will have a significant impact on the global economy, potentially more than the public expects.

Observers of the crypto industry and Wall Street have likely noticed the increasing presence of artificial intelligence (AI) technology in mainstream discussions. A notable conversation on this topic occurred at Consensus 2024, where Juan Leon highlighted that the intersection of AI and crypto could significantly impact global GDP.

According to PwC, AI and crypto could contribute $15.7 trillion and $1.8 trillion to the global economy by 2030. However, Leon suggests that their synergies might compound, driving the combined value to $20 trillion or more.

“While that adds up to $17.5 trillion, I would not be surprised to see their synergies have a compounding effect that could drive the combined value to $20 trillion or beyond,” writes Leon.

Data Center Scarcity

The AI gold rush is increasing the need for data centers, electricity, and AI chips. This is where Bitcoin (BTC) mining companies and their technology come into play. The world’s four largest cloud companies (Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft) are expected to spend nearly $200 billion on data center build-outs in 2025 to meet the growing demand for AI services.

The demand for data centers is rising, with about 83% of the capacity under construction already leased in advance. AI companies and cloud service providers are driving this demand. Data centers are struggling to keep up with the growing AI boom.

Bitcoin miners possess the resources that AI companies need, such as powerful chips and advanced cooling systems. This has led to an increase in AI companies bidding for crypto data centers. For instance, a Russian crypto mining equipment supplier, Intelion, plans to invest over $130 million to develop AI data centers.

Moreover, Bitcoin mining group Core Scientific Inc. recently rejected an unsolicited $1 billion takeover offer from AI startup CoreWeave Inc. This attention benefits miners and the larger Bitcoin ecosystem by providing new revenue and supporting network security.

Blockchain Entrepreneurship

Crypto blockchains are public and immutable, making them ideal for countering AI abuses. Entrepreneurs are developing methods and businesses to use this technology to combat harmful potential uses of AI. For example, some companies use blockchain to create digital fingerprints for videos, ensuring their authenticity by detecting manipulations.

AI and crypto also intersect in virtual assistants like Siri or Alexa. AI combined with smart contracts and digital currencies like Bitcoin can enhance bots’ capabilities and improve productivity.

“Pairing AI assistants with smart contracts and digitally native money like bitcoin or stablecoins—which are designed to move securely without the slow oversight of centralized entities—could open up new avenues to further enhance our productivity,” writes Leon.

These technologies can validate everything from research to government communications, highlighting blockchain’s role in AI oversight — and vice versa.

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