Mining
Crypto mining’s cost: How has hardware availability changed the industry?
Cryptocurrency mining has been and remains an attractive endeavor not only for fans of alternative financial instruments but also for those serious about investing. When deciding whether to start mining, potential miners keep several well-known factors in mind: equipment and electricity costs, suitable climate and favorable legislation in the country of operation. At least, that was the case until recently. In 2022, the situation changed and became more complicated. A few years ago, it was possible to mine cryptocurrencies by purchasing a graphics processing unit (GPU), reading a guide on how to construct a rig and simply mining coins. Such income was attractive for many online entrepreneurs, and soon new miners flooded the global market. Yet over time, the complexity of mining has i...
European Parliament will hold vote on crypto bill without PoW provision
The parliament of the European Union has scheduled a vote on a framework aimed at regulating cryptocurrencies after addressing concerns over proof-of-work mining. In a Monday Twitter thread, European Parliament Committee on Economics and Monetary Affairs member Stefan Berger said the committee will vote on the Markets in Crypto Assets, or MiCA, framework on March 14 following the submission of a final draft of the bill. As the rapporteur — the person appointed to report on proceedings related to the bill — Berger said the legislation will no longer include text that some had interpreted as a possible ban on proof-of-work crypto mining. “With MiCA, the EU can set global standards,” said Berger. “Therefore, all those involved are now asked to support the submitted draft & to vote for MiC...
Cointelegraph partners with Nitro Network to bring digital mining and decentralized internet to the masses
Over the past few years, nonfungible tokens (NFTs) have become a multibillion-dollar industry and have solidified themselves among the most tech savvy. They have opened the portal to infinite possibilities and carved out a new direction for the future of the internet. Enter Nitro Network, which is set to revolutionize the NFT space and take it to new heights. With its groundbreaking Non-Fungible Miners (NFMs), Nitro Network will solidify the decentralized web, all while offering generous rewards to its users. That is why Cointelegraph has partnered up with Nitro Network, to pioneer the future of a decentralized internet through the Non-Fungible Miner. NFMs are a unique innovation — an NFT that provides all users the ability to digitally mine Nitro’s native token, NCash, from anywhere in th...
Bitcoin mining difficulty drops for the first time this year
For the first time since November 2021, the Bitcoin (BTC) mining difficulty adjustment has dropped, correcting 1.49%. The move follows a succession of six consecutive positive difficulty adjustments, in which the mining difficulty and hash rate hit all-time highs. The average hash rate over the past two weeks fell to 197.19 exahashes per second (EH/s), making the average block time exceed the 10-minute target at 10 minutes 9 seconds. As a result of the difficulty adjustment, miners competing to solve the next valid block found it marginally easier. Bitcoin mining difficulty marginally dropping after an 8 month climb. Source: Glassnode The difficulty adjustment is one of the Bitcoin protocol’s most prominent features. Every two weeks or 2,016 confirmed blocks, the difficulty for mining a ne...
Nvidia hackers selling software unlock for graphics card crypto mining limiters
A hacking group that infiltrated Nvidia servers last month is attempting to sell software that could unlock crypto mining hash rate limiters on the firm’s flagship graphics cards. A South American hacking group going by the name LAPSUS$ claims to have stolen a terabyte of data from Nvidia servers in late February. The group is now offering software in the form of a customized driver to unlock limiters the company has put on its high-end graphics cards. Nvidia stated that it became aware of the incident on Feb. 23, and stated, according to reports on Mar. 2: “We are aware that the threat actor took employee credentials and some Nvidia proprietary information from our systems and has begun leaking it online.” The cybercriminal group has been trying to extort the California-based company thro...
Bitcoin network’s carbon emission jumped 17% after China ban: Report
Bitcoin network’s proof-of-work mining consensus has been a topic of environmental, social and governance debates for a long time, and a new study may only add to the growing controversy around Bitcoin’s carbon footprint. A new research report titled “Revisiting Bitcoin’s carbon footprint” published in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Joules has highlighted that the Chinese crypto mining ban might not have contributed to the reduction in the carbon footprint of the Bitcoin network as propagated by many Bitcoiners; on the contrary, it has increased by 17%. China was the primary hub for Bitcoin miners before May 2021 and accounted for more than 60% of the total Bitcoin network hash rate. However, the blanket ban imposed by the government led to the migration of most of the mining fa...
Canada to host Bitfury’s new 28MW crypto mining facility
Blockchain company Bitfury announced the launch of a new crypto-mining data center in Ontario, Canada. The new crypto mining center adds to the list of existing Canadian sites currently operating in Drumheller, Alberta and Medicine Hat. Bitfury partnered with Hut 8 Mining, a Toronto Stock Exchange-listed Bitcoin (BTC) mining company, to set up mining operations across North America. The new crypto mining facility in Ontario is expected to operate at 16 megawatts (MW) by the end of this month. Bitfury mining facility in Medicine Hat. Source: Hut 8 According to the announcement, Bitfury has plans to add 12MW capacity in the coming months, which will bring up the total capacity of the mining facility to 28MW by May end. However, the company highlighted that the facility could be potentia...
Intel unveils 2nd-gen Bonanza Mine chip for efficient Bitcoin mining
Computer chip manufacturing giant Intel Corporation shared details of a new mining chip that will be coupled with a high-performance 3,600 Watt miner with the ultimate goal of improving Bitcoin (BTC) mining efficiency. Intel revealed its second-generation BTC mining setup during the IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) 2022, a conference dedicated to the electronics and chip manufacturing industry. According to the company, Bonanza mine (BMZ2) is an ultra-low-voltage energy-efficient Bitcoin mining ASIC that can deliver 40 Terahashes per second (40 TH/s) performance. Intel’s Bonanza setup. Source: 2022 IEEE As Cointelegraph previously reported, Intel’s patent related to “high-performance Bitcoin Mining” dates back to November 2018, which had proposed ...
Mining worldwide: Where should crypto miners go in a changing landscape?
One of the main themes among the crypto community in 2021 was China’s aggressive policy toward mining, which led to a complete ban on such activities in September. While mining as a type of financial activity has not gone away and is unlikely to disappear, Chinese cryptocurrency miners had to look for a new place to set up shop. Many of them moved to the United States — the world’s new mining mecca — while some left to Scandinavia and others to nearby Kazakhstan, with its cheap electricity. Mining activities can’t stay under the radar forever, and governments around the world have begun to raise concerns over electricity capacity and power outages. Erik Thedéen, vice-chair of the European Securities and Markets Authority — who also serves as director general of the Swedish Fina...
Georgia lawmakers consider giving crypto miners tax exemptions in new bill
Five members of the Georgia House of Representatives have introduced a bill that would exempt local crypto miners from paying sales and use tax. On Monday, Georgia Representatives Don Parsons, Todd Jones, Katie Dempsey, Heath Clark, and Kasey Carpenter introduced HB 1342, a bill which has yet to be titled. The legislation proposes to amend the state tax code “to exempt the sale or use of electricity used in the commercial mining of digital assets” and would likely only apply to commercial miners operating in a facility of at least 75,000 square feet — roughly 6,968 square meters. The proposed bill is the latest in the series of state-level measures aiming to encourage crypto miners to set up shop. In January, Illinois lawmakers introduced a bill which would extend tax incentives for data c...
Russian Ministry wants to legalize Bitcoin mining in specific areas
While the Russian government continues to work out a regulatory regime for digital assets, a federal ministry has made another proposal regarding the crypto mining industry. Russia’s Ministry of Economic Development has greenlighted the concept of crypto mining regulation in the country, proposing to allow mining operations in areas with “sustainable surplus in electricity generation,” local news agency Izvestia reported Tuesday. As part of the proposal, the ministry suggested introducing lower fees for setting up mining farms and data centers in specific Russian regions as well as offering reduced energy rates for such facilities. The ministry also wants to establish a power use limit for mining by individuals, reportedly proposing to introduce higher energy rates for increased energy spe...
Cardano founder not sold on the idea of a Bitcoin world reserve currency
Charles Hoskinson is pessimistic of Bitcoin becoming the world reserve currency of the future He cited, among other reasons, the lack of smart contract functionality and low throughput Input Output Hong Kong CEO Charles Hoskinson has opined that Bitcoin is not fit to become a world reserve currency but acknowledged that it could evolve into suitability for the role. Hoskinson was responding to a question by Crypto Jebb on YouTube that sought to establish what evolution away from the dollar would be like. Despite Bitcoin’s first mover advantage, the Cardano CEO dismissed its submission as a world reserve currency, explaining that it was plagued by characteristics that “don’t make it very desirable.” So, why not Bitcoin? As a Proof of Work digital asset, Bitcoin mining consumes massive amoun...
