.Ai domains under management continue to grow ahead of changeover.

Anguilla’s .ai namespace now has 572,575, according to the registry.

The registry posted updated numbers on November 27, showing that the universe of .ai domains has increased by about 40,000 names since October 1.

Identity Digital is preparing to take over registry management for the domain next month. One move it plans to make is to add registration time when someone transfers the domain to another registrar. Unlike most domain names, .ai charges a transfer fee without extending the registration period. This effectively locks registrants into their current registrar unless they find a significantly lower price that justifies paying a fee to move the domain before renewing it.

Registrants are hoping for other changes, such as the ability to renew or register for one year at a time rather than two. Hopefully, Whois creation dates will also make a return after the registry inexplicably removed them.

Identity Digital’s channel relationships should help the .ai domain grow faster, although it will run up against natural limits because the best domains have already been registered.