Mining giant HIVE switches to AI: $220 million contract with Bell Canada and Cohere

The crypto mining market continues to transform, and HIVE Digital Technologies demonstrates how diversification into high-performance computing (HPC) is becoming not just a trend, but a necessity. Their subsidiary BUZZ HPC has entered into a massive three-year contract with Bell Canada and Cohere worth approximately $220 million, marking a significant step away from traditional Bitcoin mining.
Deal Details and Infrastructure Deployment
Under the agreement, BUZZ HPC will deploy 2304 NVIDIA Grace Blackwell GPUs at the Bell AI Fabric facility located in British Columbia, Canada. This is not just equipment supply — it involves full-fledged cloud GPU services to be provided to partners. The launch is scheduled for late 2026 to early 2027. For HIVE, this means a substantial inflow of contracted annual recurring revenue — expected to grow to approximately $70 million, double the current $35 million from existing contracts.
Why This Matters for the Market
This contract is a clear signal that mining companies with surplus capacity and expertise in managing energy-intensive data centers are actively pivoting toward the AI and cloud computing market. Unlike many competitors, HIVE is betting not on ASIC mining but on the flexibility of GPU infrastructure. Collaboration with Bell Canada — one of the country's largest telecommunications operators — and Cohere, a leading developer of NLP models, adds extra weight to the deal and indicates a high level of trust in HIVE's capabilities.
My Expert Assessment: This move is not just diversification but a strategic pivot. HIVE is effectively transforming from a pure miner into an HPC service provider. Given the growing demand for computing power for training AI models, such a contract could provide the company with stable cash flow for years to come, regardless of Bitcoin's volatility. However, it is worth closely monitoring the launch timeline — delays in deploying such projects are not uncommon and could impact expected revenue.