Bitcoin Miner MARA Approaches $168M EDF to Boost AI Growth

Bitcoin miner MARA Holdings Inc. has offered $168m to acquire a controlling stake in EDF and Exaion

ContentsAcquisition Details and Payment StructurePlans for Increased OwnershipAI Infrastructure and Strategic ShiftThe transaction is the biggest of its kind as it transitions out of cryptocurrency mining into artificial intelligence infrastructure. Its French subsidiary, MARA France SAS will buy new and existing stakes to have 64 percent. It is estimated to be completed at a later time in 2025 or earlier in 2026 upon regulatory acceptance of French and Canadian regulators.

Acquisition Details and Payment Structure

MARA will contribute 115 million euros in a subscription of new shares of Exaion, 4.1 million euros. The firm will purchase 1.2 million issued shares, which are currently flat, from EDF Pulse Holding and other minority shareholders for 33 million. They will remit this money in two parts, including a closure of 23 million euros and an additional payment of 10 million euros in 2027, in case Exaion achieves some performance standards. This deal gives MARA control over the strategic direction of Exaion while maintaining EDF as a minority shareholder.

Plans for Increased Ownership

MARA plans to increase its share to approximately 75 % in March 2027. This will be done by buying 3.9 million extra shares, which amount to about 110 million euros. The action will increase the level of operational control at MARA and maintain EDF’s participation. The staged acquisition will lift the companies out of negative prohibition by the regulatory body and will be carried out cooperatively between the two companies.

AI Infrastructure and Strategic Shift

Exaion delivers intensive workload high-performance computing and cloud services. The structures facilitate inference of artificial intelligence, handling big data, and other intensive digital processes. The mission of MARA is to take advantage of the growing demand in the field of high technology computing, as well as to limit its exposure to the swings of the cryptocurrency markets. The interest of the company in AI inference excludes the increased expenses of model training on the ground. Its focus on digital sovereignty provides clients with secure data processing that is compliant with the region.

MARA’s strategy contrasts with those of its competitors, Core Scientific and Hut 8, which focus on massive cloud providers. Since MARA will be working closely with clients, it has an opportunity to provide tailor-made solutions. The company interprets AI infrastructure as a complementary corporation to its Bitcoin mining business, which is energy-intensive in terms of computer computing demands.

MARA is pursuing a Bitcoin treasury policy, retaining all Bitcoin that it mines and purchasing additional ones with a 950 million dollar fund sourced through equity and debt financing. After the announcement, MARA’s market value increased to 5.8 billion dollars, with its shares rising 1.8 percent to 15.67 dollars in New York. If the purchase is successful, MARA will assume leading roles in the fields of AI infrastructure and cryptocurrency mining.