Slovenia’s country code domain “.si” is experiencing an unprecedented boom in demand following President Trump’s executive order rebranding “AI” to “SI”, standing for “super intelligence”. This sudden spike echoes the early 2020s surge in interest for “.ai” domains tied to the artificial intelligence boom. Prior to the order, “.si” was known mainly as Slovenia’s web address—ironically, the home country of First Lady Melania Trump.
The organization overseeing Slovenia’s internet domains, Registry SI, reports a staggering 2,199% rise in “.si” domain registrations during September. On September 30, the day after the executive order was signed, over 11,000 new “.si” domains were registered. Within the 24 hours following that date, registrations climbed close to 13,000. Registry SI cautioned, however, that not all of this growth can be attributed solely to the executive order.
Who’s buying them—and how many?
Hostinger, a global web hosting provider, said “.si” has leapt to become its second most chosen domain extension, just behind “.com”. On September 30 alone, Hostinger customers bought nearly 4,300 “.si” domains; on October 1, that number rose to about 5,400. Impressively, more than three-quarters of all “.si” registrations made since September 23 occurred in these two days. Over half of those purchases came from users in the U.S. and India.
Despite the surge, only a small fraction—around 3%—of the new “.si” domains are clearly tied to AI, according to Hostinger. The remainder are unclassified, meaning they don’t align with recognizable categories. Most buyers appear to be individuals and businesses, with some snapping up names speculatively—possibly to re-sell later. Tokenization and blockchain trading of domain names were also mentioned as possible use cases, though support for “.si” has yet to be confirmed.
Comparisons, pricing, and the road ahead
For those worried “.si” might replace “.ai”, experts involved think otherwise. Hostinger’s domain head suggested “.si” is an affordable alternative, not a rival. Currently, “.si” domains cost about $12 annually on Hostinger, while “.ai” domains stand at roughly $90 for two years. The higher cost for “.ai” reflects its premium market position. The registry in Slovenia directs the lower fees to its agency, rather than collecting large sums as some countries do with high-demand domains.
Some early adopters are buying “.si” versions of brand or company names to protect their assets—akin to digital real estate—to guard against price hikes later. Others treat them like collectibles, hoping their value will appreciate. Reports have emerged of “.si” domains being resold for over a million dollars, though such cases are rare and likely at the speculative fringe.
This trend stems directly from Trump’s executive order stating that frontier AI systems are no longer just performing tasks or mimicking human intelligence, but instead represent a larger paradigm called “super intelligence”. That definition appears to be creating significant ripple effects, with registrations soaring practically overnight.
The coming weeks will be telling: while demand exploded, “.si” isn’t expected to dethrone “.ai” in prestige. It’s gaining traction because it’s cheaper, more available, and now politically highlighted. For Slovenia, the financial windfall is positive, but the main value of all this may lie in brand protection, speculation, and digital positioning—important in a world rapidly redefining what it calls AI.
My take: The rise of “.si” domains showcases how policy decisions can reshape tech markets in unexpected ways. Think about how redefining language—calling AI “super intelligence”—can redirect demand, reprice domain spaces, and ignite speculative behavior. What to watch now: whether .si domain pricing or registration rules tighten, how often .si names get repurposed or resold, and whether other nations or entities start to override domain norms in response to policy shifts. If we’ve learned anything, it’s that once you rename a concept as powerful as intelligence, the digital vacuum it creates fills fast—and often with dollar signs.
