Pig slurry powers a British farm’s AI data center

A British farm is using electricity generated from pig slurry to run a small AI data center, creating a new revenue stream from agricultural waste.

The system uses an anaerobic digester to convert pig slurry into biogas, which is then converted into electricity. Because the power is generated and consumed on-site, the setup avoids sending energy to the grid and uses the output directly for computing.

The first site, in the northwest of England, is operated by Easy Compute through its Green Compute network. The company installs and manages computing hardware at farms, allowing businesses to rent capacity on a pay-as-you-go basis.

AI computing could pay more than the grid

Renewable electricity sold to the grid typically returns 8–12 pence per kWh, according to the report—roughly one-third to half of the price consumers pay per kWh at home. Easy Compute claims that using the same energy for AI computing can generate 10 times as much income, with its largest partners reportedly earning tens of thousands of pounds per month from computing services.

That additional revenue could also shorten the time needed to recover the cost of renewable infrastructure. Easy Compute says anaerobic digesters would normally take 12–15 years to repay, but adding a computing network could reduce the period to around four years.

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Customers can pay with the network’s own token to receive a 10% discount on compute credits. They also receive assurance that the underlying computing power is supplied by verified renewable energy, which may appeal to businesses with specific ESG targets.

Cryptocurrency keeps the hardware productive

Some Green Compute hardware is connected to Bittensor, a blockchain-based AI network. When demand from commercial customers drops, the computers can switch to cryptocurrency mining, helping the farm generate income around the clock and recover its investment faster.

The model offers a decentralized alternative as hyperscale AI data centers face scrutiny, local opposition and construction setbacks. Easy Compute CEO Josh Riddett said:

“We take waste that a farm already has, turn it into clean power, and point that power at the computers the AI industry is desperate for.”

The approach comes as British farms face pressure from government policies while receiving dwindling rewards for producing food and other goods. In addition to earning from computing and cryptocurrency, farms can use the renewable electricity in their own operations to reduce costs.

“The farmer earns far more than they would from the grid—and now they can earn cryptocurrency on top, through networks like Bittensor.”