Blockcap plans to have 50K Bitcoin miners operational by 2023

May 3, 2021 Coin Telegraph

Executive chair and founder Darin Feinstein said the firm plans to make the U.S. a global leader in making blockchain technology mainstream.

One of the largest crypto mining firms in North America said that it has acquired an additional 8,000 rigs and has begun mining other cryptocurrencies.

In an announcement from Blockcap on Monday, the mining firm said it planned to have more than 50,000 mining rigs online by the end of 2022. Blockcap now controls more than 12,000 mining rigs, generating more than 6.6 Bitcoin (BTC) daily — roughly $380,000 at the time of publication. The firm added that it was accelerating its move to mine other cryptocurrencies including Ether (ETH).

According to the firm, the addition of the ETH mining rigs in operation would account for 1.229 terahashes per second, or roughly 0.21% of that of the Ethereum network. The more than 50,000 Bitcoin miners, when fully operational, are projected to control roughly 2% of BTC’s current combined hash rate.

“Blockcap’s growth strategy is focused on bringing various peer-to-peer digital assets directly to the people who will utilize them to improve their lives,” said Blockcap executive chair and founder Darin Feinstein. “We strive to contribute to the critical infrastructure necessary for mass adoption of these digital asset technologies so people can participate more fully in the global financial system.”

Both Blockcap and Riot Blockchain — two of the largest crypto mining operations in the United States — have announced plans to set up shop in Texas for their corporate offices and their mining facilities, respectively. Blockcap raised more than $75 million in two funding rounds led by Off The Chain Capital and Foundry Digital.

Texas wants to protect privacy elements of blockchain companies, says Blockcap

April 22, 2021 Coin Telegraph

Bitcoin mining

According to Darin Feinstein, the Chinese government isn't helping to protect the private property of its crypto miners.

Crypto mining company Blockcap, which recently announced it would be setting up new offices in Austin, says Texas could become an alluring region for the industry.

In an exclusive interview with Cointelegraph, Blockcap founder and executive chair Darin Feinstein said the firm had chosen Texas for its headquarters based on the potential hiring pool as well as the regulatory environment. According to Feinstein, blockchain companies operating in the United States — and Texas in particular — may face fewer geopolitical risks than those in China and other countries.

"Texas certainly is a place that we see protecting the privacy elements and some of the other aspects of blockchain technology that some states and some governments around the world don’t like."

The Blockcap exec said that areas of China with a high concentration of Bitcoin (BTC) miners like Xinjiang don’t “protect private property” and may encourage firms to set up shop elsewhere. This week, the hashing power of top Bitcoin mining pools in the Chinese region fell due to a regional blackout reportedly aimed at allowing safety inspections, implying that the Chinese government could have some significant control over the Bitcoin hash rate.

However, in the United States, Feinstein said that support of private companies coupled with endorsements from lawmakers like Texas Governor Greg Abbott make the state “a really good hub” for crypto and blockchain. Last month, Abbott tweeted he supported legislation to better adapt commercial law for blockchain innovation and digital asset regulations.

Alternative locations in the U.S. like Wyoming have “really good blockchain legislation” according to the Blockcap founder. However, he said said Elon Musk’s decision to set up a Tesla Gigafactory — as well as his personal residence — in Texas may be a better indication of the state’s growth and opportunity for finding qualified new hires.

“We’re all in the first inning of a very long game,” said Feinstein. “The final regulatory decisions are going to take place over the next decade and the jurisdictions that are robustly looking to foster this technology along are jurisdictions that we’re interested in being a part of.”

Blockcap now controls more than 12,000 mining rigs generating roughly 7.5 BTC daily, with the firm aiming to bring an additional 43,000 miners online by 2022. Along with Riot Blockchain — which also plans to set up shop in Texas — the firms are two of the largest crypto mining operations in the United States.

Blockcap Mined $33M in BTC in First Quarter, Q1 Bitcoin Revenue Outshines US Competitors

April 17, 2021 Bitcoin.com

Bitcoin mining company follows Tesla by setting up shop in Austin

April 11, 2021 Coin Telegraph

Tech companies like Oracle, Tesla, Hewlett Packard, and now Blockcap are moving to Austin, causing many to call the state capital the Silicon Hills.

North America-based crypto mining company Blockcap announced over the weekend it would be establishing new offices in Austin, Texas.

In an announcement from Blockcap on Friday, the mining company claimed once its new facilities are operational in the Lone Star State’s capital, its hashing power will be roughly 3.5 exahash per second from a total of 42,000 rigs, reportedly doubling its capabilities. According to blockchain data, this would represent more than 2% of the hashrate for the entire Bitcoin (BTC) network, roughly 167 million terahash per second at the time of publication. However, Blockcap claims its total fleet will account for only 1% of the network's hashing power.

“Austin is our home base from which we will pursue our mission and bring this great city closer to the center of the United States’ blockchain technology ecosystem,” said Blockcap chair and founder Darin Feinstein. “We also see the city as an ideal location from which to continue expanding our operations as we grow at both national and international levels.”

Blockcap cited electric car manufacturer Tesla setting up one of its "Gigafactories" in Austin in announcing the move. Tesla CEO and billionaire Elon Musk recently purchased a home in the Texas state capital for more than $3 million on Lake Austin west of the downtown area, while the firm is breaking ground on the Gigafactory on the east side closer to the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

The mining company did not immediately respond to questions regarding where it plans to establish its offices in the Austin area or how many jobs would be created as a result, though Feinstein said it would be "hiring locally." Musk said in a tweet last month that the new Giga Texas location would bring in more than 10,000 jobs, effectively increasing the number of employees at the electric car manufacturing company by more than 14%.

Though some tech companies like Oracle and Hewlett Packard are moving to Austin — causing many to dub the city the "Silicon Hills," in reference to Silicon Valley — the state capital has in many ways become a microcosm of the U.S. housing market. Many employees of these firms may be seeing all-cash buyers purchasing homes, making them unavailable to those with only the financial means of saving for a 20% down payment. Musk highlighted the dearth of Austin housing in an April 4 tweet, seemingly in reference to Tesla employees relocating there.

However, the addition of Blockcap and other blockchain firms to the Lone Star State has the support of former Texas governor Rick Perry, the Republican politician who once famously forgot the name of the Department of Energy as a federal agency he would eliminate if elected president. Perry claimed Texas had “become the premier location for forward-looking industries like blockchain” and that Blockcap would likely lead to job creation and economic growth in the state.

Founded in 2020 by a group of blockchain veterans, Blockcap now controls roughly 12,000 mining rigs generating more than 7 BTC daily, or $416,550 at the time of publication. The company raised more than $75 million in two funding rounds led by Off The Chain Capital and Foundry Digital. According to Blockcap, the firm recently acquired more than $500 million worth of Bitcoin mining machines.

Texas Bitcoin Mining Swells- Riot Purchases Mining Site for $650M, Blockcap Establishes HQ in Austin

April 9, 2021 Bitcoin.com

U.S. miner Blockcap plans to have 40,000 ASICs operational by Q4

March 23, 2021 Coin Telegraph

Blockcap

Despite launching in December, Blockcap plans to possess an operational hashrate of 3.5 EH/s by 2022.

Blockcap, one of the largest Bitcoin mining firms in North America, has added more than 12,000 additional Bitmain Antminer S19s to its inventory.

The firm is now expecting to have deployed more than 40,000 Bitcoin miners by the fourth quarter, and projects an operational hashrate of roughly 3.5 exahashes per second, or EH/s — equal to roughly 2% of BTC’s currently combined hashrate of 171.3 EH/s.

Blockcap currently mines approximately six BTC each day.

The firm was founded in December 2020 by veterans of major blockchain hosting company, Core Scientific, with Blockcap claiming to have combined the assets of five existing mining companies.

After launching with roughly 13,000 Antminer S19s, and 500 upgraded S17s , Blockcap added another 10,000 S19s to its inventory in mid-February, before acquiring 8,400 new-generation miners from Canaan earlier this month. Blockcap estimates its mining hardware is valued at $270 million n the secondary markets.

In an announcement, Darin Feinsten, Blockcap’s executive chairman, emphasized the company's intention to bolster U.S.-based hashing power:

“With this latest hardware acquisition, we are doubling down on our mission to become a world leader in the mining of bitcoin and other digital assets. We are moving at high speed to position the United States as a global player in this increasingly strategic industry.”

Bitcoin mining firms are increasingly capturing the imagination of traders, with Fundstrat analyst Leeor Shimron recently noting the four-largest publicly-listed mining firms outperformed BTC by 455% over the past 12 months on average.

“Until a Bitcoin ETF is approved, investors may view public mining companies as one of the only ways to get exposure to Bitcoin,” he speculated.

On March 22, Greenidge Generation announced it plans to go public by combining with a special acquisition company. Greenidge is targeting for its shares to trade on the Nasdaq. The company is majority-owned by private equity firm Atlas Holdings, and possesses its own power generation facility.

Blockcap

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