Anguilla: The Caribbean island making millions from the AI boom
9 days ago
- #AI
- #Caribbean
- #DomainNames
- Anguilla, a small Caribbean island, was assigned the .ai domain in the 1980s, which later became highly valuable due to the AI boom.
- The .ai domain registrations have surged, with over 850,000 domains now in existence, up from fewer than 50,000 in 2020.
- Anguilla earned $39 million from .ai domain sales in 2024, accounting for 23% of its total revenue, helping diversify its hurricane-prone tourism-dependent economy.
- High-profile .ai domain sales include you.ai for $700,000 and cloud.ai for $600,000, with renewal fees around $150-$200 every two years.
- Anguilla signed a revenue-sharing deal with Identity Digital to manage .ai domains, moving hosting to global servers to avoid hurricane disruptions.
- The island aims to use .ai revenue for infrastructure projects, including a new airport and healthcare improvements.
- Tuvalu’s .tv domain deal serves as a precedent, but Anguilla’s revenue-sharing model differs from Tuvalu’s fixed-payment approach.