A Malaysian technology entrepreneur named Arsyan Ismail has made a remarkable mark in the digital world by selling the domain name AI.com for about $70 million which has become one of the biggest publicly known domain sales ever. What makes this deal incredible is how the story began.
Story Behind Ai.com
Arsyan Ismail bought the domain years ago mainly because the letters matched his own name initials, not because he predicted the rise of artificial intelligence.
Back in past when the internet was new and early, Ismail quietly owned the domain AI.com and held onto it while the world changed around it. At the time of purchase the domain was just a small easy to remember term but as artificial intelligence became one of the fastest-growing areas in technology, the value of that two-letter domain shot up. Two-letter dot-com addresses are extremely rare, and “AI” in particular became hugely valuable as the tech buzz around artificial intelligence exploded globally.
In April 2025, Ismail finally agreed to trade the AI.com domain to Kris Marszalek who is the co-founder and CEO of Crypto.com, for about $70 million which is roughly around Rs 635 crore. The trade set a new benchmark for domain deals — surpassing many previous high-profile sales. The deal grabs all the global attention not just for the price but also because of how it was showcased to the world.
AI.com future
The moment the sale became public came when AI.com was featured in a commercial during Super Bowl LX which is one of the world’s most watched sporting events. Instead of being a quiet launch, the new owners chose the biggest TV stage to introduce AI.com and its potential, directing millions of viewers to the site and creating a huge buzz.
The AI.com is now being positioned as a consumer-facing platform in the AI world. The early vision consists of using the domain as a front door to everyday AI tools and services. While full details are still on the way. However, the major objective of the domain is to build AI tools that can help users perform tasks, manage digital identities, and interact with technology in more convenient ways.
The digital deal portrays how timing, patience, and a bit of luck can turn a simple web address into a record-breaking digital deal. What began as a quiet ownership of a name has become a memorable moment in internet history, proving that even small, early internet decisions can lead to massive opportunities in the future.
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Syed Ziyauddin is a media and international relations enthusiast with a strong academic and professional foundation. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mass Media from Jamia Millia Islamia and a Master’s in International Relations (West Asia) from the same institution.
He has work with organizations like ANN Media, TV9 Bharatvarsh, NDTV and Centre for Discourse, Fusion, and Analysis (CDFA) his core interest includes Tech, Auto and global affairs.
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