Bitmain to release Antminer devices for Aleo

The mining equipment manufacturer Bitmain plans to unveil Antminer units for the privacy-focused Aleo blockchain based on zero-knowledge proofs.

The company said it aims to ‘help the ecosystem thrive’, but did not disclose a timeline for the mining hardware release.

The Aleo blockchain is still operating on a testnet. In February 2022 the project raised $200 million in a Series B funding round.

“Bitmain will continue to adhere to the concept of making ‘the digital world of humanity better’, work with customers on a ‘mutually beneficial, long-term and loyal basis’ to build a more prosperous and transparent PoW-space,” the Chinese firm said.

In September the company introduced announced bitcoin miner Antminer S21 of the new generation. The device delivers an efficiency of 17.5 J/TH — the best on the market.

In early October, Australian Iris Energy said it purchased 7000 units of Antminer S21 for $19.6 million — at $14 per TH/s. The manufacturer provided the firm with a one-year payment deferral of $2.9 million.

In the same month, the American cryptocurrency mining company CleanSpark announced plans to acquire new mining devices from Bitmain with a total hashrate of 4.4 EH/s. Deliveries are set to begin in January 2024.

Analyst Jaran Mellerud called it ‘crazy’ that miners are not rushing to take advantage of the pre-order for installations at such a favorable price of $14 per TH/s.

Bitcoin miners must be crazy to not take advantage of the S21 pre-order for $14/T — High ROI due to low price and protected downside due to superior efficiency.

So far, @CleanSpark_Inc is the only public miner who has announced the execution of this deal. pic.twitter.com/NQDvANuGlg

— Jaran Mellerud ?⛏️ (@JMellerud) October 22, 2023

Some commentators have suggested that industry participants want to ensure the reliability of the equipment, recalling the problems with the S17 series.

“It’s not a very low price, and it’s always too expensive when it doesn’t work. I’m not crazy, as you put it. Precisely because I am reasonable, I understand colleagues who, burned by milk, blow on water,” said the CEO of Big Block Себ Госпиллоу.

According to Hashrate Index, market quotes for Bitcoin miners with energy consumption below 25 J/TH stand at $13.14 per TH/s.

Earlier this October, media reported about financial problems at Bitmain — the company delayed paying September salaries. The firm fired three employees for leaking this information.