Leading cryptocurrency mining hardware manufacturer Bitmain has announced the launched of a 50 MW (megawatt) cryptocurrency mining farm in Rockdale, Texas.
The mining farm was launched alongside the Rockdale Municipal Development District (MDD) and Canadian tech firm DMG Blockchain Solutions. The initial plan, for the construction of a 25 MW cryptocurrency mining farm, started in 2018 on a 33,000 acre site owned by Aluminum Company of America.
Earlier this year, the cryptocurrency giant’s plans for the Texas farm were put on hold, as the company reportedly struggled with the significant drop cryptocurrency prices suffered throughout 2018.
Now the mining farm is up and running, and according to Bitmain’s press release can be expanded to a capacity of over 300 MW, which would make it the largest cryptocurrency mining farm in the world.
Clinton Brown, Bitmain’s lead project manager for Rockdale, was quoted as saying:
We are excited to launch this facility, which is significant to Bitmain’s global expansion plans. The stable and efficient energy resources in Texas are fundamental to the inevitable scale of growth for the cryptocurrency mining industry.
The Rockdale mining farm is notably the third crypto mining project in the US Bitmain has invested in, a move that battles China’s dominance when it comes to cryptocurrency mining. Bitmain and BMG are set to work together to expand the farm’s capacity and ensure the hardware is working efficiently.
To power the mining farm, Bitmain will purchase energy from the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT), which operates Rockdale’s electric grid. Bitmain is also reportedly looking to work with the local school district to provide training and education on blockchain technology and mining data center operations.
Featured image via Pixabay.
