Tether looks to ‘build the next generation of open AI models’ with new data division

The AI job postings come after a $600 million AI infrastructure investment Tether made in the fall

article-image

Tether and Adobe Stock modified by Blockworks

share

Tether has established a new AI division within the company, the stablecoin issuer announced Tuesday morning. 

The new division, named Tether data, is looking to hire an AI engineer and a head of AI research and development, according to Tether’s job recruiting website.

“Our goal is to build the next generation of open AI models, leading innovation in AI, through an accessible, transparent and privacy preserving approach,” the job postings read

Read more: It’s Vitalik’s birthday today — and he’s optimistic on crypto-AI integrations

Tether now joins an AI hiring market that is being increasingly picked over by tech firms looking to capitalize on the AI craze. Meta has responded to the competition by extended job offers without interviews and sending personalized recruiting emails from CEO Mark Zuckerberg, The Information reported.

It’s the latest new business vertical for Tether, which also boasts energy and education divisions. 

Its main business, issuing stablecoins, has grown increasingly dominant in recent months. Tether’s USDT currently accounts for around 70% of all stablecoins, a figure that’s held mostly steady since November, according to DeFiLlama. Mainly from interest on its reserves, Tether reported $2.85 billion in net profit during last year’s Q4.

In a blog post announcing Tether data, Tether CEO Paolo Ardoino pointed to the company’s investment in Northern Data Group as being part of its AI vision. 

Read more: Tether executive shakeup: Ardoino takes over as CEO

Tether invested 575 million euros (equivalent to roughly $623 million) in Northern Data Group via debt financing in November. Northern Data Group houses a fleet of data centers with hardware like GPUs that firms can use for AI development. It’s one of only a handful of investments Tether has made overall.

In addition to building AI models, Tether’s AI unit will lead collaborations integrating AI solutions into “market-driven products” and advance the field of open AI, according to the company’s blog post. 

Over the past year, the potential for AI integrations with crypto has spawned a raft of new startups and investor interest in areas like content verification and allowing AI model inferences to interact with smart contracts.


Get the news in your inbox. Explore Blockworks newsletters:

  • Blockworks Daily: The newsletter that helps thousands of investors understand crypto and the markets, by Byron Gilliam.
  • Empire: Start your morning with the top news and analysis to inform your day in crypto.
  • Forward Guidance: Reporting and analysis on the growing intersection of crypto and macroeconomics, policy and finance.
  • 0xResearch: Alpha directly in your inbox. Market highlights, data, degen trade ideas, governance updates, token performance and more.
  • Lightspeed: Built for Solana investors, developers and community members. The latest from one of crypto’s hottest networks.
  • The Drop: For crypto collectors and traders, covering apps, games, memes and more.
  • Supply Shock: Tracking Bitcoin’s rise from internet plaything worth less than a penny to global phenomenon disrupting money as we know it.
Tags

Upcoming Events

Industry City | Brooklyn, NY

TUES - THURS, JUNE 24 - 26, 2025

Permissionless IV serves as the definitive gathering for crypto’s technical founders, developers, and builders to come together and create the future.If you’re ready to shape the future of crypto, Permissionless IV is where it happens.

Old Billingsgate

Mon - Wed, October 13 - 15, 2025

Blockworks’ Digital Asset Summit (DAS) will feature conversations between the builders, allocators, and legislators who will shape the trajectory of the digital asset ecosystem in the US and abroad.

recent research

morpho 2 graphic.png

Research

Utilizing a ‘DeFi Mullet’ approach, Coinbase’s Bitcoin-backed loans integration with Morpho demonstrates a powerful blueprint for CEXs to monetize dormant assets by expanding adoption of wrapped products (cbBTC, USDC) while also supporting native and/or preferred DeFi ecosystems (Base) which can further lead to downstream growth in onchain liquidity and increased utilization of the related assets.

article-image

The network is at a “pivotal juncture,” Blockworks Research’s Marc-Thomas Arjoon said

article-image

Altcoin trade volume has returned to pre-FTX levels, but with a shrinking pool of market leaders

article-image

Solana Foundation’s former head of strategy proposes increasing the disinflation rate

article-image

With much of the bitcoin mining supply chain based in Asia, US-based operations now face higher equipment prices

article-image

Anticipating an economic downturn, venture firms may be less likely to invest

article-image

Trump’s tariffs may have potentially significant impacts on GDP, household spending and food prices — if they hold