MARA Strikes $168M Deal for EDF’s Exaion in Major AI & HPC Push

Under the deal, EDF Pulse Ventures, the corporate venture capital arm of EDF, will retain a minority stake in Exaion and continue as a client, signaling its confidence in the company’s growth and strategic direction. MARA also has the option to increase its ownership to 75% by 2027, upon meeting certain performance milestones, with an additional $127 million investment.

Exaion specializes in high-performance computing (HPC) data center operations, secure cloud infrastructure, and AI solutions. The company collaborates with technology partners including NVIDIA, Deloitte, and 2CRSI to serve enterprise and public-sector clients with fast, reliable, and sustainable computing services. MARA sees this deal as an immediate opportunity to expand into AI and HPC infrastructure. By integrating Exaion’s platform and expertise, MARA aims to accelerate its capabilities in secure cloud and computing services, addressing rising demand in the AI era.

Fred Thiel, CEO and Chairman of MARA, emphasized the complementary strengths of the two firms: “Our partnership with Exaion would bring together two global leaders in data center development and digital energy. As data protection and energy efficiency become top priorities for both governments and enterprises, MARA and Exaion’s combined expertise would enable us to deliver secure and scalable cloud solutions built for the future of AI.”

EDF Group’s Head of Innovation, Julien Villeret, highlighted the significance of the agreement, stating, “Since its creation in 2020, EDF Pulse Ventures has supported Exaion’s growth and the development of its cutting-edge digital technologies. This transaction would mark a new chapter, as Exaion would join forces with a seasoned global tech partner, while maintaining a collaborative relationship with the EDF Group. It would be a major opportunity for Exaion to accelerate both its technological and international development.”

The acquisition marks a significant expansion of MARA’s business beyond cryptocurrency mining, leveraging its existing energy infrastructure expertise to enter the high-performance computing and artificial intelligence sectors. Through Exaion’s established capabilities in secure cloud services, HPC data centers, and environmentally conscious operations, MARA will be positioned to serve a broader range of enterprise and government clients seeking scalable, low-carbon computing solutions. This diversification aligns with growing global demand for AI-ready infrastructure and energy-efficient data processing.

MARA’s expansion into AI and HPC through Exaion also reflects broader market trends where energy providers and tech firms are increasingly joining forces to meet the surging computational demands of artificial intelligence. By coupling MARA’s operational scale and energy optimization expertise with Exaion’s proven digital infrastructure, the combined entity aims to deliver high-performance solutions without compromising sustainability objectives.

Exaion is a startup born from EDF’s internal incubation program, EDF Pulse Incubation, and further backed by EDF Pulse Ventures since 2020. The company provides eco-responsible HPC services, blockchain node hosting, secure cloud environments, and decentralized computing, all designed to minimize environmental impact while maximizing performance. EDF Pulse Ventures, established in 2017, serves as EDF’s corporate venture capital arm, investing in start-ups advancing the energy transition and carbon neutrality goals. The firm offers both capital and strategic support to help scale innovations across EDF’s ecosystem.

The deal is expected to close in Q4 2025, contingent on regulatory approvals and other closing conditions. Once completed, MARA will take a strategic leadership position while EDF continues as a minority stakeholder and customer. The joint value proposition is clear: combining clean, efficient energy foundations with high-grade secure computing infrastructure positions the new entity to serve government, enterprise, and AI-focused clients at scale.

Integrating energy efficiency with advanced computing capabilities can create a competitive advantage in regions where both power costs and environmental regulations are key considerations. This positions the MARA-Exaion partnership to capture opportunities in emerging markets for AI-driven applications, from scientific research and climate modeling to secure government cloud services.

This deal represents a timely convergence between energy infrastructure and high-performance computing, poised to redefine MARA’s growth trajectory.