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.


Start your day with top crypto insights from David Canellis and Katherine Ross. Subscribe to the Empire newsletter.

Explore the growing intersection between crypto, macroeconomics, policy and finance with Ben Strack, Casey Wagner and Felix Jauvin. Subscribe to the Forward Guidance newsletter.

Get alpha directly in your inbox with the 0xResearch newsletter — market highlights, charts, degen trade ideas, governance updates, and more.

The Lightspeed newsletter is all things Solana, in your inbox, every day. Subscribe to daily Solana news from Jack Kubinec and Jeff Albus.

Tags

Upcoming Events

Javits Center North | 445 11th Ave

Tues - Thurs, March 18 - 20, 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

Research Report Templates (1).jpg

Research

With $13B in tokenized assets, strong institutional partnerships, and a clear first-mover advantage in the RWA space. The platform's methodical approach to regulatory compliance, coupled with its hybrid public-private architecture, positions it uniquely to capture significant market share in the emerging tokenization landscape. While current fee generation primarily stems from metadata transactions, the planned launch of Figure Markets, major exchange listings, and comprehensive market-making initiatives in 2025 could serve as powerful catalysts for growth.

article-image

Perena is built on the premise that as stablecoins proliferate, liquidity could fragment, and stablecoins aren’t useful if they aren’t liquid

article-image

From hackathons to trading tools and DAO governance, AI agents are redefining how we build and innovate

article-image

CME’s large bitcoin contracts are so big that investors are turning to micro bitcoin contracts

article-image

The third-largest stablecoin is going multichain for the first time in its seven-year history

article-image

Nano Labs’ news release notes confidence in bitcoin being “a reliable store of value amidst its rising global adoption”

article-image

Several big companies report third quarter earnings this week, likely moving markets