The United Nations arm aimed at assessing the science related to climate change, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC, has named crypto among technologies that may require greater energy demands. According to a report released on Monday, the IPCC said cryptocurrencies, as part of the infrastructure around data centers and information technology systems related to blockchain, had the potential to be a “major global source” of carbon dioxide emissions. The group said that estimated CO2 emissions between 2010-2019 suggested there was only a 50% probability of limiting the rise of the average Earth temperature by 1.5°C based on …

On Monday, semiconductor manufacturing titan Intel unveiled its new Bitcoin (BTC) mining chip, Blockscale. The application-specific integrated circuit, or ASIC, hardware is designed to operate on proof-of-work blockchains using SHA-256 encryption. As told by Intel, Blockscale will have a hash rate of up to 580 gigahash per second (or 0.58 terahash per second, TH/s), consuming between 4.8 to 22.7 watts of power, and having an energy efficiency of up to 26 joules per terahash (J/TH). Each chip can be combined and merged into a single mining unit, increasing its output with a maximum of 256 integrated circuits per chain. Blockscale …

Bitcoin (BTC) mining in Norway is 100% renewable and “flourishing” according to a report by Arcane Research. “A green oasis of renewable energy,” Norway contributes almost 1% to the global hash rate and is almost entirely powered by hydropower. The report compiled data from the Cambridge Bitcoin Electricity Consumption Index and data from Coinshares to conclude that Norway contributes 0.77% to the Bitcoin total global hashrate. By way of comparison, Norway’s population of 5 million contributes a tenth of that–or 0.07% of the global population. Crucially, according to the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE), Norway’s electricity mix is …

Just when the Bitcoin (BTC) miners helped release the 19th millionth BTC in circulation on Friday, the BTC network’s mining difficulty reciprocated by reaching an all-time high of 28.587 trillion. Bitcoin’s network difficulty correlates to the computational power required to mine BTC blocks, which currently demands an estimated hash rate of 201.84 exahash per second (EH/s), according to data from Blockchain.com. Supporting the spike in the network difficulty, Bitcoin’s hash rate maintained a stronghold throughout the year while breaking into an all-time high of 248.11 EH/s on Feb. 13. A higher hash rate ensures resilience against double-spending attacks, which is …

On Friday, Bitcoin (BTC) mining company PrimeBlock announced that it is merging with special purpose acquisition vehicle (SPAC) company 10X Capital Venture Acquisition Corp II. The deal places PrimeBlock at an enterprise value of $1.323 billion and is expected to close in the second half of the year. The company has installed 1.8 exahash per second of BTC self-mining company, accounting for approximately 0.89% of the Bitcoin network's overall hash rate. According to PrimeBlock, its break-even price for mining is $9,000 per coin. Back in 2020, up to 59% of its energy sources were carbon-free. The firm seeks to become …

In a document filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Thursday, Bitcoin (BTC) mining company Riot Blockchain announced that it would be selling up to $500 million worth of common stock to finance general corporate expenses, such as working capital, repayment of corporate obligations, capital expenditures and acquisitions, and investing in existing and future projects. After the offering, the company would have more than 139 million units of commons tock outstanding, giving it a market cap of close to $3 billion at Friday's prices. The company is authorized to issue 170 million units of common stock …

The 19th millionth Bitcoin (BTC) was mined today, a landmark occasion for the number one c. 19 million Bitcoin are now in circulation, with just 2 million Bitcoin yet to be minted (or mined) until roughly the year 2140. In block 730002, mined by SBI Crypto, the 19 millionth Bitcoin entered circulation. SBI crypto earned ‎6.32 BTC, roughly $293,000 for the trouble in transaction fees and block reward. A momentous occasion, the Bitcoin community was quick to celebrate the milestone event. The 19,000,000th bitcoin was just mined. Only 2 million more bitcoin to go. — Pomp (@APompliano) April 1, 2022 …

Canadian oil and gas company Bengal Energy, is dipping its toes into Bitcoin (BTC) mining as a way of utilizing the untapped energy from its gas wells in the far reaches of the Australian outback. According to a report from The Australian, Bengal Energy is set to conduct a pilot program where roughly 70 Bitcoin mining rigs will be set up inside a portable building — known in the local mining industry as a “donga” — which will be assembled near a series of previously out-of-operation gas wells in the Cooper Basin. According to Bengal Energy’s chief operating officer, Kai …

U.S. Bitcoin mining firm Core Scientific has posted bullish 2021 fiscal year results compared to the year prior, with its revenue increasing by 803% to $544.5 million and gross profit growing 2,443% to $238.9 million. The major BTC miner highlighted growth in hash rate, mining equipment sales, hosting revenue, digital asset mining income as key reasons for the improved performance. The booming price of Bitcoin (BTC) no doubt also played a part. The results were announced on March 29 and show a total net income (take-home after expenses) totaling $47.3 million last year. The figure marks a drastic increase from …

Italy’s second-largest bank UniCredit and the Bitcoin (BTC) mining farm Bitminer Factory have faced each other in the Bosnian city Banja Luka court, which decided that the bank improperly closed the company’s account and must compensate €131 million (about $144 million) to the plaintiff. As reported in La Repubblica on March 27, the court of Banja Luka held that a Bosnian branch of UniCredit didn’t have legitimate reasons to freeze the operations of Bitminer Factory Gradiska LLC’s account. The Bitminer Factory estimated its losses at €131 million, asserting that the closure of its accounts had “hindered its initial coin offering …

Next time someone tries to poo-poo the renewable credentials of Bitcoin (BTC) mining, remember AmityAge Mining Farm. Founded by Gabriel Kozak and Dušan Matuska, the Bitcoin mining facility uses human and animal waste to generate electricity for mining. Matuska, the man “who met Satoshi Nakomoto”, told Cointelegraph that “methane from biodegradation processes runs our machines.” As human and animal waste isn’t running out any time soon, their BTC mining process is both environmentally friendly and renewable. According to Matuska, using renewable energies such as biogas “shows that we can really accelerate the adoption of these renewables and make their return …

Greenpeace, along with other climate groups, and co-founder and executive chairman of Ripple, Chris Larsen, has launched a new campaign aimed at changing Bitcoin (BTC) to a more environmentally friendly consensus model. The “Change the code, not the climate” campaign aims to pressure key industry leaders, Bitcoin miners, and influencers like Elon Musk, and Jack Dorsey, into moving over to a new consensus model saying: “If only 30 people — the key miners, exchanges, and core developers who build and contribute to Bitcoin’s code — agreed to reinvent proof-of-work mining or move to a low-energy protocol, Bitcoin would stop polluting …