Pakistan turns to bitcoin miners, AI data centers to use surplus power

Ariba Shahid

Wed, Apr 9, 2025, 6:57 AM 2 min read

By Ariba Shahid

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - Pakistan plans to allocate portion of its surplus energy to Bitcoin mining and AI information centres, the caput of Pakistan's Crypto Council and advisor to the concern curate said connected Wednesday, adding it had held talks with respective mining firms.

Pakistan's vigor assemblage is grappling with challenges, including precocious energy tariffs and surplus procreation capacity.

The accelerated enlargement of star vigor has further analyzable the landscape, arsenic much consumers crook to alternate vigor sources to mitigate precocious costs.

Bilal Bin Saqib, main enforcement serviceman of the council, told Reuters the determination of the mining centre volition beryllium finalised based connected the availability of excess powerfulness successful circumstantial regions.

Documents seen by Reuters outline the relation of Changpeng Zhao, laminitis of Binance, who volition service arsenic a strategical advisor to the Pakistan Crypto Council.

Zhao was successful May past twelvemonth sentenced to 4 months successful situation aft pleading blameworthy to violating U.S. laws against wealth laundering astatine the world's largest cryptocurrency exchange.

His relation connected the Pakistan assembly volition see supporting blockchain infrastructure, advising connected regulatory frameworks, and assisting with nationalist initiatives, specified arsenic integer currency, mining, and younker acquisition successful blockchain technologies.

Saqib said the state has 15-20 cardinal crypto users and is the third-largest planetary freelancer economy, with a increasing fintech space.

"Pakistan is successful the apical 10 planetary crypto adopters contempt it not being regularised," helium said.

Saqib said helium wants regulatory sandboxes, oregon harmless environments for testing, to foster innovation and maturation successful the fintech and freelancer economy.

He besides said upskilling Pakistan's younker successful blockchain and AI tin thrust occupation instauration and the economy, boosting exports done integer services, and positioning the state arsenic a hub for emerging tech endowment connected the planetary stage.

(Reporting by Ariba Shahid, Writing by Surbhi Misra; editing by Barbara Lewis)