Riot & AMD: Bitcoin Boom Sparks Mega Data Center Dare 😂💾

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Key Highlights

  • Riot nabbed 200 acres in Rockdale using Bitcoin from its own treasure chest-because who needs a bank when you have blockchain swagger? 🤑
  • The company signed a 10-year data center lease with AMD for an initial 25 MW-it’s a partnership with horsepower and probably a good espresso machine.
  • The deal nudges Riot from mining into AI and HPC infrastructure-big servers, small jokes, and probably a laser-eyed render of the future.

Riot Platforms has completed the fee simple acquisition of the land under its Rockdale, Texas site and inked its first major data center lease with Advanced Micro Devices. The move sent Riot’s shares skyrocketing over 9% in early trading-talk about a dramatic entrance, roll out the red carpet for the servers! 😂

The transactions, announced today, mark a giant leap in Riot’s shift from pure bitcoin mining toward hyperscale data center development. The Rockdale deal gives Riot full ownership of a key site with significant power capacity, while the AMD lease establishes its data center business with a long-term anchor tenant. It’s like trading the pickaxe for a circuit board-same energy, fewer whacks to the funny bone.

Rockdale acquisition unlocks data center expansion

Riot paid $96 million for 200 acres at its Rockdale site, funded entirely by selling approximately 1,080 Bitcoin from its treasury. The site, previously operated under a long-term ground lease, includes a 700 MW grid interconnection, a dedicated water supply, and fiber connectivity-a real smorgasbord of power, water, and wires. 🍖⚡

We’re excited to share a series of transformative transactions that firmly establish our rapidly scaling data center business – including fee simple acquisition of our Rockdale site and signing our first data center lease with AMD.

Read the full press release here:…

– Riot Platforms, Inc. (@RiotPlatforms) January 16, 2026

With full ownership secured, the company plans to convert the site’s entire gross power capacity for data center tenants. Combined with its Corsicana facility, Riot now controls more than 1,100 acres and 1.7 GW of approved power capacity across two Texas locations positioned in the state’s big data center corridor. It’s the old cowboy hat meeting a portfolio of kilowatts- Yee-haw for infrastructure!

AMD signs long-term lease at Rockdale

Alongside the land acquisition, Riot entered into a 10-year data center lease and services agreement with AMD for an initial 25 MW of critical IT load at Rockdale. Delivery is phased, beginning in January 2026 and completing in May 2026, using retrofitted existing infrastructure. Talk about moving in with style-fitted up and ready to rock (literally). 🏗️🧪

The lease is expected to generate about $311 million in revenue over the initial term, with three five-year extension options that could raise total contract value to roughly $1 billion. AMD also holds options to expand capacity by an additional 75 MW and a right of first refusal for another 100 MW, potentially lifting total leased capacity to 200 MW. If you blink, you might miss a megawatt-don’t blink. 👀💡

Market and balance sheet context

Riot ranks among the largest public corporate holders of Bitcoin, with 18,005 BTC valued at roughly $1.7 billion, according to BitcoinTreasuries. The Rockdale purchase reflects a deliberate allocation of Bitcoin holdings toward long-term infrastructure assets rather than continued accumulation alone. Shares of Riot Platforms rose more than 9% following the announcement, trading around $18.14 with a market capitalization near $6.7 billion. It’s like reallocating the family fortune from gold coins to a glittering data-center castle. 🏰💎

Broader digital push

The Rockdale acquisition and AMD lease signal Riot’s evolution from a Bitcoin mining-focused operator into a broader digital infrastructure developer tied to AI and high-performance computing demand. As miners repurpose power-heavy sites for data centers, Riot’s move shows how Bitcoin treasuries and energy assets are being redeployed to compete in the hyperscale market. The punchline writes itself: big power, big plans, bigger laughs. 😄⚡

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2026-01-16 22:14