What did Bittensor co-founder Ala Shaabana say about Bitcoin's computing power?

Ala Shaabana said Bitcoin's network hash rate exceeds the combined computing power of the world's top 100 supercomputers by more than 600,000 times. He used the comparison to illustrate the scale and effectiveness of decentralised computing networks.

Why is Bitcoin being compared to supercomputers?

The comparison highlights how millions of miners collectively contribute computing power to secure the Bitcoin network. Shaabana argued that distributed networks can coordinate resources on a scale that traditional centralised computing systems cannot easily match.

Bittensor is a Layer 1 blockchain network focused on artificial intelligence. Instead of rewarding miners for solving Bitcoin-style hash puzzles, the network rewards participants for contributing AI models, computing resources and useful outputs.

How does Bittensor apply Bitcoin's model to AI?

Bittensor uses a similar incentive structure to Bitcoin by rewarding network participants with tokens. The difference is that rewards are linked to AI-related tasks rather than blockchain mining, encouraging users to contribute computing power and intelligence.

What are Bittensor subnets?

Subnets are specialised networks within the Bittensor ecosystem that focus on specific tasks or objectives. There are currently 128 subnets, each designed to reward participants for solving particular problems or providing certain services.

Why are subnets important to Bittensor's strategy?

According to Shaabana, subnets allow decentralised networks to organise global computing resources efficiently. Each subnet creates economic incentives that encourage participants to optimise for specific outcomes such as computation, storage or AI performance.

How could decentralised AI challenge large technology companies?

Shaabana argued that open networks can attract talent, hardware and innovation from around the world without relying on a single corporation. In theory, this could reduce the dominance of large technology firms that currently control much of the AI industry's infrastructure.

What is the investment thesis behind Bittensor?

Supporters believe decentralised AI networks could become valuable if demand for AI computing continues to grow. The thesis is that open incentive systems may coordinate resources more efficiently than centralised platforms over the long term.

Image for illustrative purposes only. Not a real photo.

Bittensor co-founder touts Bitcoin-inspired AI networks

Written by Mahathir BayenaPublished Jun 3, 2026, 3:51 AM

Bittensor co-founder Ala Shaabana said decentralised networks are becoming a dominant force in global computing, arguing that Bitcoin demonstrates the power of incentive-driven systems to coordinate massive amounts of hardware worldwide.

Speaking at the Proof of Talk summit in Paris, Shaabana said Bitcoin's network hash rate exceeds the combined computing power of the world's top 100 supercomputers by more than 600,000 times.

“We all know that Bitcoin really dwarfs the top 100 supercomputers,”

Shaabana said, adding:

“It's over 600,000 times the power of really what these supercomputers can do.”

Shaabana argued that the same incentive structure that powers Bitcoin can be applied to artificial intelligence through decentralised networks such as Bittensor.

The Bittensor network organises AI activity across 128 specialised subnets, where participants compete for TAO token rewards by contributing computing power and solving designated tasks.

According to Shaabana, these incentive-driven markets allow decentralised networks to attract global talent, hardware and intelligence without relying on large corporate data centres or technology monopolies.

He added that the long-term investment case for decentralised AI may increasingly be driven by broader economic trends, including liquidity conditions, rising debt levels and declining trust in traditional institutions, rather than technology advancements alone.

At the time of reporting, Bitcoin price was $66,782.05.