Slovenia has found an unexpected digital windfall, courtesy of the White House. Since US President Donald Trump signed an executive order rebranding artificial intelligence as “super intelligence” (or “SI”), buyers worldwide have been scrambling to secure .si web domains – the country-code top-level domain for Slovenia.
According to web hosting company Hostinger, more than 22,800 .si domains have been registered by roughly 8,000 buyers since Trump first floated the term at the United Nations General Assembly on 23 September. The surge peaked in the first two days of October, with 5,300 registrations logged each day. Even over the weekend, when activity typically cools, registrations remained five times above the pre-order daily average of about 520.
Why Slovenia? The .si gold rush
The appeal is straightforward: the two-letter suffix “.si” mirrors the abbreviation for “super intelligence.” As businesses and speculators anticipate a global shift in branding from AI to SI, they are snapping up domains that could become valuable digital real estate. The trend is not limited to Slovenia – similar spikes have been seen for other country codes that match the acronym, but .si has emerged as the clear favourite.
Hostinger’s data shows that US and Indian users account for roughly half of all registrations, with 5,640 and 5,560 respectively. Morocco ranks third with about 1,320 domains, ahead of the UK, the UAE, and Canada. Interestingly, Moroccan buyers average 4.9 domains each, compared to the overall average of 2.8, suggesting a strong speculative element – buying in bulk to resell later.
Yet the content of these new domains tells a different story. Only 3% of registrations include explicit AI-related terms. Instead, short, brandable names dominate – 13% of registrations are single-word or very short domains, followed by tech-related terms. This suggests that many buyers are not necessarily planning to use the domains for AI ventures, but rather to hold them as investments or to capitalise on the hype.
Trump’s rebrand and its ripple effects
Trump first voiced his preference for “super intelligence” over “artificial intelligence” during his UN speech, arguing that “artificial” makes it sound fake when it is actually “amazing.” He claimed that “super intelligence” is a more accurate description. The executive order, signed after a summit with America’s leading AI companies, formalised the terminology shift within the US government.
Top AI companies have not publicly opposed the rebrand. Elon Musk went a step further, announcing that his AI company, SpaceXAI, would become SpaceXSI – a move that mirrors the president’s terminology. This endorsement has likely fuelled further interest in SI-related domains.
For Slovenia, the boom is a curious economic side-effect. The country’s .si registry, operated by the Academic and Research Network of Slovenia (ARNES), has seen a surge in international registrations, though local businesses and institutions remain the primary users. The influx of foreign registrants could bring additional revenue, but also raises questions about the long-term value of these speculative purchases.
The trend also highlights the broader interplay between US politics and European digital economies. While the EU has taken a more regulatory approach to AI – as seen in the contrast between Trump’s voluntary accord and Brussels’ binding rulebook – the naming shift is having tangible commercial consequences in a small EU member state.
Whether the .si rush will translate into lasting economic benefits for Slovenia remains to be seen. For now, the country is enjoying a moment in the digital spotlight, with domain registrars and investors alike watching to see if the “super intelligence” trend continues to gain momentum.
