THE MINING POD: Kevin O’Leary: 50% of AI Builds Will Fail

Dec 9, 2025

In this engaging conversation, Kevin O'Leary, the renowned entrepreneur and Shark Tank star, dives into the nuances of Bitcoin mining and AI infrastructure. He shares insights on why 50% of North American data centers are at risk of failure due to power and resource limitations. Kevin explains his investment in BitZero and highlights the critical role of cost-effective power. He also discusses the explosive demand for AI capacity and the potential migration of institutional capital towards Bitcoin and Ethereum, while leaving altcoins behind.

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ADVICE

Buy Sites With Cheap Power Contracts

Do prioritize owning power contracts at sub-$0.06/kWh when investing in compute or mining infrastructure.
Secure permits, land, fiber, and water before committing capital to data-center projects.

INSIGHT

Half Of Data Center Announcements Will Fail

About 50% of announced North American data centers will never get built because they lack power, permits, or community support.
Power availability is the single constant driving successful data-center development.

ADVICE

Check Policy And Geopolitical Risk First

Do evaluate political stability, data sovereignty, and geographic risk when choosing power locations.
Avoid regions with weak rule of law or active conflict despite cheap energy prices.

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Celebrity investor Kevin O’Leary joins the Mining Pod to discuss his bull thesis on AI, bitcoin, and Bitzero.

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Welcome back to The Mining Pod! Today, Kevin O'Leary, investor and Shark Tank star, joins us to talk about the intersection of Bitcoin mining and AI infrastructure. Kevin breaks down why he invested in Bitzero and why the North American grid is all but tapped out. He also covers geopolitical AI chip strategies, the Genius Act and stablecoins, and why institutional capital will ignore altcoins while boosting BTC and ETH.

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**Notes:**

* Sub $0.06/kWh power is key

* 50% of NA data centers will fail

* Global data center demand is 250GW

* 1GW compute needs 1.4GW buildout

* 1.4GW buildout costs up to $7B

* Bit Zero has 1.5 EH/s in Norway

Timestamps:

00:00 Start

02:51 What is Bitzero?

06:18 What sets Bitzero apart?

08:45 What are investors missing?

11:19 Expansion strategy & load mix

16:17 18 actual customers

20:15 AI bull market timeline

25:33 Classifying assets & portfolio allocations

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