Cipher Mining, a Bitcoin mining firm valued at $2.2 billion, is reportedly exploring a sale as it faces increasing pressure from high energy and computing costs. The company has attracted interest from potential buyers amid a growing demand for data centers, which are essential for artificial intelligence (AI) operations. Bitcoin miners, facing a recent halving of mining rewards, are pivoting towards AI to enhance profitability. This trend is reflected in the rising stock prices of mining firms as they seek to diversify their operations beyond Bitcoin mining. The expansive data centers operated by these firms, equipped with significant power and fiber line access, make them attractive targets for AI companies looking to support compute-intensive tasks.