Bitcoin-treasury firm Empery Digital invests $20M in AI data centers

Empery Digital, known for its bitcoin treasury strategy, has invested $20 million in Cardinal Data Power, a developer of powered data center campuses for AI and high-performance computing in West Texas, Cointelegraph reports.

The deal's details

The investment closed on July 20, 2026, and gives Empery roughly an 8% stake in Cardinal Data Power — part of the company's roughly $70 million Series A round. Cardinal specializes in powered campuses built specifically for AI and high-performance computing, combining power generation, natural gas supply, and electrical infrastructure to speed up construction of these sites. The money will support a 750MW campus: first power is expected in 2027, scaling to about 1GW by 2029, and eventually surpassing 5GW.

“Cardinal Data Power is uniquely positioned to bring generation, transmission and management of power solutions to the insatiable energy demands of the AI Infrastructure build-out.”

— Ryan Lane, Co-CEO of Empery Digital

Quote source: Empery Digital press release.

“We are pleased to welcome Empery Digital as an investor in Cardinal Data Power. CDP is excited to begin development of initial projects and look forward to partnering with Empery as we continue to scale.”

— Hunt Allred, Chairman of Cardinal Data Power

Where the money is coming from

A telling detail: over the same two-month period, Empery sold roughly 1,400 BTC for about $87.1 million, using the proceeds to fund AI infrastructure and repay debt. The company now holds 1,514 BTC, down from a peak of 4,081 BTC. We recently covered a similar capital pivot toward data centers in our piece on OpenAI's Georgia campus.

Nothing here should be taken as financial advice — just information to consider.