At Bitcoin 2026, our CEO and Co-Founder Kent Halliburton joined Colin Harper of Blockspace, Rapha Zagury of Elektron Energy, and Matt Prusak of American Bitcoin for a timely Energy Stage panel: “Make Bitcoin Mining Great Again.”
The title was playful.
The conversation was serious.
Across the industry, one of the biggest questions right now is simple:
What happens to Bitcoin mining as more companies pivot toward AI and high-performance computing?
Some public miners are chasing AI infrastructure. Some are freezing new ASIC purchases. Some are rethinking what kind of compute business they actually want to be.
But one thing was clear from the panel:
Bitcoin mining is not going away. It is adapting.
And at Sazmining, we believe our model is built for the era that comes next.
While Others Chase AI, Bitcoin-Focused Miners Keep Building
The conversation opened with a major industry reality: AI and HPC are pulling attention, capital, and infrastructure away from Bitcoin mining.
For some companies, that pivot may make sense. Public markets often reward large, predictable revenue contracts, and AI data centers are attracting enormous demand.
But Bitcoin mining remains a fundamentally important industry.
Bitcoin miners secure the network. They convert energy into digital property. They help distribute hash rate across geographies. And they remain one of the most direct ways to acquire Bitcoin from the network itself.
That is where Sazmining is focused.
Kent explained that Sazmining is pioneering Bitcoin Mining as a Service, giving clients a direct path to acquire Bitcoin through mining without needing to build or operate data centers themselves.
Rather than functioning like a traditional hosting provider, Sazmining helps clients own their mining hardware directly, access professionally managed data centers, and receive Bitcoin directly to their wallets.
In Kent’s words, Sazmining’s competition is more exchanges than other miners.
That matters.
Because our goal is not simply to host machines.
Our goal is to create a better on-ramp for people who want to acquire Bitcoin directly through mining.
Mining as a Service: A Different Model for a More Competitive Industry
As Bitcoin mining matures, the industry is becoming more specialized.
Infrastructure providers, operators, manufacturers, capital partners, and end users all play different roles across the supply chain.
Kent described this as a natural “division of labor” that emerges as industries get more competitive.
That is exactly where Sazmining has placed its bet.
We curate mining opportunities for clients. We work with operators across different geographies. We help clients access mining without needing to become full-time infrastructure experts.
The result is a model built around alignment:
⛏️ Clients own their mining hardware
🧡 Bitcoin goes directly to their wallets
🤝 Sazmining earns when client machines are productive
🏗️ Data center operators focus on operations
🌎 Clients get access to global mining opportunities
This is not the same as buying Bitcoin on an exchange.
And it is not the same as investing in a public mining stock.
It is direct participation in Bitcoin mining, through a managed model designed to make the process more accessible.
The AI Pivot Could Create Opportunity for Bitcoin Miners
One of the most interesting themes from the panel was that the AI pivot may actually create opportunity for miners who stay focused on Bitcoin.
As some companies reduce ASIC purchases or move infrastructure toward HPC, the mining equipment market changes.
Kent noted that the AI pivot has put high-quality used equipment on the market, depressed prices for new equipment, and forced manufacturers to adapt.
That creates an opening.
When machine prices fall and sentiment weakens, disciplined miners may be able to deploy more effectively.
That is a familiar pattern in Bitcoin.
The moments that feel most uncomfortable are often the moments when the most serious participants are preparing for the next cycle.
Kent put it simply during the lightning round:
Although capital is hard to come by right now, this is also when Sazmining sees some of the smartest players deploying.
Bear markets do not scare serious miners.
They reveal them.
Bitcoin Mining Goes Where Excess Energy Exists
The panel also explored where future mining opportunities may emerge.
Kent pointed to places with long-term viable excess power, including Paraguay, Ethiopia, Brazil, Venezuela, and potentially Bhutan.
This is one of Bitcoin mining’s most important features.
Bitcoin mining is flexible. It does not need to sit in the same places as traditional data centers. It can move toward stranded, underutilized, or excess energy resources that other industries may not be able to use effectively.
That flexibility matters even more as AI increases demand for premium energy assets in developed markets.
AI data centers often need specific infrastructure: redundancy, connectivity, water access, proximity to major hubs, and long-term reliability.
Bitcoin mining can operate differently.
It can go farther afield. It can use energy that may otherwise be wasted. It can adapt to different environments. And it can help monetize power in places where traditional data center demand may never arrive.
That is part of why global diversification is central to Sazmining’s model.
Today, Sazmining operates across four continents:
🇪🇹 Ethiopia
🇳🇴 Norway
🇺🇸 United States (West Texas and South Dakota)
🇵🇾 Paraguay
Different regions bring different opportunities and risks. No jurisdiction is risk-free. But a diversified approach can help reduce dependence on any single market, grid, or regulatory environment.
A More Bitcoin-Aligned Mining Industry
Kent also made a deeper point about Bitcoin alignment.
When miners are primarily chasing dollars, public market narratives, or unrelated compute opportunities, their incentives can drift away from the network.
But when miners continue deploying hash rate because they believe in Bitcoin’s long-term value, the network may become healthier.
The miners who remain are often the ones with stronger conviction, better cost discipline, and a clearer understanding of Bitcoin’s role in the world.
That does not mean mining is easy.
It never has been.
Capital is tight. Hash price is volatile. Energy markets are competitive. Jurisdictional risk is real. ASIC markets can shift quickly.
But Bitcoin mining has always rewarded adaptation, patience, and discipline.
As Rapha Zagury said during the panel, in Bitcoin, we have seen this movie before. The patient ones collect the prizes.
Sazmining Is Staying Focused on Bitcoin
At Sazmining, we are not pivoting away from Bitcoin.
We are building deeper into it.
Our mission is to help more people acquire Bitcoin directly through mining, using a model that is accessible, globally diversified, and aligned with client success.
That means continuing to curate mining opportunities.
It means working with trusted operators.
It means helping clients own real hardware.
It means staying focused on wild sats.
Bitcoin mining is entering a new era.
The industry is becoming more competitive, more global, and more specialized.
We believe that is exactly where Sazmining’s model shines.
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