Tech Giants Dominate: Amazon & Google Now Control 45% of Bitcoin Lightning Network Nodes

Big Tech just hijacked Bitcoin's highway.

The Lightning Network—crypto's slickest scaling solution—now has nearly half its nodes powered by Amazon Web Services and Google Cloud. So much for decentralization.

Corporate cloud takeover

When two companies control 45% of any crypto infrastructure, eyebrows (and gas fees) skyrocket. The Lightning Network was supposed to be Bitcoin's grassroots savior—now it's renting server space from the same oligarchs it aimed to disrupt.

Wall Street won't stop giggling.

This is the part where finance bros smugly point out that crypto's anti-establishment revolution now runs on AWS credits. The irony's thicker than a Bitcoin whitepaper.

But here's the twist: Lightning still works. Whether that's despite Big Tech—or because of it—depends how cynical your bag is.

Amazon and Google Are Operating 45% of Lightning Nodes

According to data from Mempool Space, approximately 45% of Bitcoin’s Lightning Network nodes are currently running on Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google Cloud. This reflects the growing role of tech giants in supporting blockchain infrastructure.

Amazon alone is responsible for nearly 30% of all Lightning nodes. This level of involvement has led many investors to believe that Amazon could soon enable bitcoin payments on its global e-commerce platform.

“It’s also interesting to see Amazon being one of the largest Lightning node operators. Lightning payments on Amazon in the future,” The Bitcoin Nurse, an investor, commented.

Unlike a full Bitcoin node, a Lightning node is server software that performs specific tasks. It opens and manages Lightning payment channels, routes transactions through the Lightning network, signs off-chain transactions, and updates balances.

To make it clearer: if a Bitcoin node acts as the backbone of the network, ensuring all rules are followed, then a Lightning node is like the muscles and nerves. It enables fast, low-cost, and flexible payments through private channels.

Lightning payments offer speed and low fees, making them increasingly popular. The number of Lightning nodes has grown from under 3,000 in 2019 to over 16,000 in 2025. This solution is paving the way for enterprise adoption. Companies like Tether, Uber, Revolut, Nubank, and Steak ‘n Shake are exploring Lightning payments, as are countries like El Salvador that have embraced Bitcoin.

Jamie Coutts, CMT and Chief crypto Analyst at RealVision, reported that blockchain transaction fees have dropped by 50% since the end of last year. This decline could encourage businesses and governments to shift toward on-chain payments in the future.

“Blockchain fees have fallen 50% from their Q4 2024 peak, yet historical liquidity cycles suggest on-chain activity is set to explode. While lower costs per transaction pressure aggregate fees, this will be offset by a surge in volume. Imagine big-box retail, Amazon, and even government departments moving on-chain within the next few years,” Coutts predicted.

In addition, the US Senate passed the GENIUS Act on June 17, 2025. This legislation may accelerate stablecoin growth to $3.7 trillion by the decade’s end. If that happens, on-chain activity could rise significantly, just as analysts forecast.