". AI" domain name is a small gold mine! Google, Microsoft and other technology giants are scrambling to register

In recent years, AI development has been progressing rapidly, and .AI domain names related to the Caribbean island nation of Anguilla have become extremely popular. Google officially designated .ai domains as global generic domains as early as June 2023. Tech giants like Google and Microsoft are competing to register them. According to Bloomberg, Anguilla is expected to profit 30 million dollars this year.

1. Benefiting from the AI wave, the small island turns into a digital "gold mine."

Anguilla is a small island in the Caribbean and is a British Overseas Territory with a population of less than 16,000 people. According to the latest data from the United Nations, Anguilla's GDP was $288 million in 2021.

The New York Times previously reported that in 2018 alone, the sales revenue of ".ai" domains in Anguilla reached a staggering $2.9 million. In 2021, Anguilla generated $7.4 million in revenue from ".ai" domains, and Bloomberg reported that this year, this income is expected to reach $30 million, roughly one-tenth of the country's GDP.

Reportedly, companies registering ".ai" domains are required to pay Anguilla $140 every two years, a price that is expected to increase as demand grows. An insider from Anguilla revealed that the registration of websites with ".ai" domains has rapidly increased since the release of ChatGPT. Last year, the total registrations nearly doubled, reaching 287,432. According to data from Domain Name Stats, since 2023, registrations for ".ai" domains have grown by 72.96% year-on-year.

In terms of regions, as of June 2023, statistics from DataProvider show that 62.5% of ".ai" domain website registrations came from North America, 18.8% from Asia, and 17.2% from Europe. By country, the top five countries with the most registrations are currently the United States, India, the Netherlands, Germany, and Canada.

2. Why Are Tech Companies Competing to Register Domain Names?

In August of this year, the domain trading platform Sedo.com released a list of the ten most expensive ".ai" domains traded on their platform. Among them, "NPC.ai" was sold for a staggering $2.5 million, highlighting the popularity of ".ai" domains.

Search reveals that xAI, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and many startups have already registered websites with ".ai" as the suffix.

3. Why Would a Domain Name Trigger Competition Among Tech Giants?

Analysis by the German Internet agency InterNetX points out several benefits for tech companies in the fiercely competitive field of artificial intelligence (AI) when registering websites with the ".ai" domain:

Firstly, ".ai" is associated with artificial intelligence (AI), which helps create an online image for businesses that are tech-savvy and innovative, thereby enhancing brand recognition.

Secondly, the ".ai" suffix helps increase traffic through search engines and attracts users' attention, thereby improving website click-through rates.

Lastly, companies involved in products, services, or technology related to artificial intelligence can incorporate relevant terms into their domain names, highlighting creativity and fun.

In addition to the ".ai" domain, other related domains have also sparked competition among tech giants.

For example, in March of this year, OpenAI founder Sam Altman spent $11 million to purchase the domain "AI.com," aiming to combine his brand with the domain.

In August, Elon Musk reclaimed the AI.com domain from OpenAI, and users can now directly access Musk's new company xAI through AI.com.

Today, Musk has acquired the three major top-level domains of ai.com, x.ai, and x.com. With the rise of the artificial intelligence wave, domains are also becoming a new investment opportunity in the tech industry.