Bitcoin Miners Extend Pre-Market Gains as AI Demand Boosts Sector

Bitcoin (BTC, $118,137.51) miners are seeing fresh pre-market gains, driven by the booming artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing (HPC) demand. Companies pivoting toward AI infrastructure are reaping the biggest benefits.

IREN (IREN) rose 4% pre-market to $66 after a 6% gain on Thursday, bringing its year-to-date increase to over 520%. TerraWulf (WULF) climbed 5% pre-market following a 10% surge Thursday, lifting its YTD gain to 150%. Other notable movers include Cipher Mining (CIFR), CleanSpark (CLSK), and Bitfarms (BITF), all trading 2–4% higher pre-market.

The total market capitalization of Bitcoin miners is approaching $90 billion, according to Farside data, and could surpass $100 billion by year-end if momentum continues.

The sector is further supported by broader AI and HPC trends. Bloomberg reports Microsoft (MSFT) will face data center shortages into 2026 due to surging cloud and AI demand. Even with up to two gigawatts of added capacity, Microsoft struggles to scale fast enough, fueling optimism for Bitcoin miners expanding into AI and data center operations.