TeraWulf jumps as $19B Anthropic lease accelerates AI data center expansion

TeraWulf has secured a 20-year lease with Anthropic expected to generate nearly $19 billion in contracted revenue, sending the Bitcoin miner’s stock sharply higher despite weakness across crypto-related equities.

AI infrastructure becomes TeraWulf’s biggest growth driver

According to a press release from TeraWulf, the Bitcoin miner has signed a 20-year lease agreement with Anthropic for its Justified Data campus in Hawesville, Kentucky.

The company said the agreement is expected to produce nearly $19 billion in contracted revenue over the initial lease period, making it one of the largest infrastructure commitments announced between an AI developer and a crypto mining company.

Under the agreement, the Kentucky campus will support about 401 megawatts of critical IT load and will be built in several phases. TeraWulf said the first capacity is expected to come online during the second half of 2027, while the full 401 MW deployment is scheduled for early 2028.

The project adds to a growing list of Bitcoin miners expanding beyond digital asset mining into AI infrastructure, where existing power capacity and data center expertise have become increasingly valuable. TeraWulf has been repositioning its business to serve high-performance computing and AI workloads alongside its Bitcoin operations.

The announcement also comes as Anthropic continues to expand its computing footprint following recent regulatory developments. As crypto.news reported earlier, the company has restored public access to its Claude Fable 5 and Mythos 5 models after U.S. authorities lifted export restrictions that had suspended public availability since June 12. According to Anthropic, the rollout resumed after discussions with the U.S. government and now includes new classifiers designed to identify and block cybersecurity-related misuse.

Those export controls had temporarily forced Anthropic to disable both advanced models for all users after a U.S. government directive required the company to block access for foreign nationals. Anthropic said the additional safeguards were introduced to address government concerns over potential misuse through jailbreak techniques.

Asset sale strengthens funding for AI expansion

Alongside the lease announcement, TeraWulf disclosed that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its 50.1% ownership stake in the Abernathy Joint Venture to an investor group led by its joint venture partner, Fluidstack.

According to the company, the transaction monetizes roughly $450 million of invested capital at a premium and frees additional resources for wholly owned AI infrastructure projects. The divestment complements the Anthropic lease by increasing capital available for future data center development.

Investors reacted positively to both announcements. TradingView data showed TeraWulf shares rising more than 12% to around $24, outperforming many publicly traded crypto companies that traded lower during the broader market downturn.

Anthropic has also remained at the center of geopolitical discussions over AI access. As crypto.news previously reported, Austria last month urged the European Union to consider establishing Anthropic within the bloc after U.S. export restrictions limited foreign access to the company’s most advanced AI systems.

In a letter released by the Austrian government, State Secretary for Digitalization Alexander Proell argued that the EU could offer the company legal certainty, investment, market access, and what he described as a values-based environment, while encouraging European policymakers to reduce dependence on technology decisions made outside the region.

Separately, Anthropic is also reportedly considering an initial public offering at a valuation of as much as $1 trillion, adding another catalyst as the company continues expanding its AI infrastructure and global operations.