Why many weaker .ai names may drop at renewal time
· Summary of an article by Andrew Allemann, Domain Name Wire
Dynadot launched pre-expiration auctions, starting with .ai, so owners can sell names they do not want to renew. The background is cost: .ai has an $80 yearly wholesale price and a two-year minimum, so each renewal costs $160 or more.
The registry went from about 533,000 names in October 2024 to roughly 600,000 by year end, and the article estimates the total has about doubled since. Many of the later registrations were made after the best names were gone, and the author expects plenty of investors to let them lapse rather than pay two more years. Premium names, by contrast, keep being renewed.
