Billionaire investor Mark Cuban (마크 큐반) has pointed to high-performance chips for artificial intelligence as the centre of the next investment boom. U.Today, a blockchain outlet, reported on Aug. 16 that Cuban wrote on X that the asset class of chips would become a new crypto.

Cuban was referring to high-performance GPUs used to run AI. He said computing hardware could establish itself as an independent investment asset class. Computer chips are usually seen as equipment that loses value over time, but AI growth is shaking that perception, he explained.

The crypto industry immediately pushed back. Bitcoin supporter Pierre Rochard (피에르 로샤르) pointed out that chip manufacturing lacks bitcoin's difficulty adjustment and halving mechanism. Some also mocked Cuban's remarks by likening them to a bottom signal late in a bear market.

Cuban has repeatedly changed his view of bitcoin. In 2019, he compared bitcoin to a collectible and said it was better to have a banana, but acknowledged it could function as a store of value. He later placed greater expectations on Ethereum, citing smart contracts and decentralised applications, and has said several times that he views bitcoin as a safe-haven asset similar to gold.

But Cuban said he sold most of his bitcoin holdings last May. He said bitcoin fell short of expectations as a macroeconomic hedge. In a recent interview, he said bitcoin had lost its way and that while he saw it as a better asset than gold, he was disappointed after it performed very poorly.