Risks Related to Certain Regulations and Laws, Including Tax Laws
Our operations are subject to various legal, regulatory, governmental, and technological uncertainties.
As of December 31, 2024, our platform included five Bitcoin mining sites in North America, four natural gas power generation facilities in Canada, five cloud and colocation data centers in Canada, and a non-operational site in Canada. We also brought online 1,000 NVIDIA H100 GPUs for our GPU-as-a-Service business. Our various lines of business operating across multiple jurisdictions subject us to extensive laws, rules, regulations, policies, orders, determinations, directives, and legal and regulatory interpretations and guidance.
Many of these legal and regulatory regimes were adopted prior to the advent of the internet, mobile technologies, digital assets, AI, and/or related technologies. As a result, some applicable laws and regulations do not contemplate or address unique issues associated with the crypto and AI economies, are subject to significant uncertainty, and vary widely across U.S. and Canadian federal, state, provincial, and local and international jurisdictions. These legal and regulatory regimes, including the laws, rules, and regulations thereunder, evolve frequently and may be modified, interpreted, and applied in an inconsistent manner from one jurisdiction to another, and may conflict with one another. Moreover, the complexity and evolving nature of our business and the significant uncertainty surrounding the regulation of the crypto and AI industries requires us to exercise our judgment as to whether certain laws, rules, and regulations apply to us, and it is possible that governmental bodies and regulators may disagree with our conclusions. To the extent we have not complied, or are deemed to have not complied, with such laws, rules, and regulations, we could be subject to significant fines, revocation of licenses, limitations on our offerings, reputational harm, and other regulatory consequences, each of which may be significant and could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Additionally, various governmental and regulatory bodies, including legislative and executive bodies, in the United States, Canada, and in other countries may adopt new laws and regulations, the direction and timing of which may be influenced by changes in the governing administrations and major events in the economy. For example, in light of the recent change in administration in the United States, there is considerable uncertainty and potential conflict regarding and among existing laws, judicial orders and bans, new presidential executive orders, regulatory frameworks, leadership changes, and enforcement priorities and strategies. Penalties for non-compliance with any of these orders or regulations may be significant. Proposed tariffs to be imposed by the United States on imports from certain countries and potential counter-tariffs in response, could lead to increased costs and supply chain disruptions. If we are not able to navigate these changes, it could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
Due to our business activities, we may be subject to examinations, oversight, reviews, investigations, and inquiries, many of which have broad discretion to audit and examine our business. Moreover, laws and regulations related to economic sanctions, export controls, anti-bribery and anti-corruption, and other international activities may restrict or limit our ability to engage in transactions or dealings with certain counterparties in, or with, certain countries or territories, or in certain activities. We cannot guarantee compliance with all such laws and regulations, and failure to comply with such laws and regulations could expose us to fines, penalties, or costly and expensive investigations. Any new laws, regulations, or interpretations may result in additional litigation, regulatory investigations, and enforcement or other actions, including preventing or delaying if and how we provide our offerings. Adverse changes to, or our failure to comply with, any laws and regulations may have an adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.