Hut 8 Relocating 6400 Rigs, Projects AI Demand and High-performance Computing
Bitcoin miner Hut8 announced the continued relocation of idle rigs within its North Bay site. The mining firm admitted that the segment is experiencing increased demand for high-power computing and artificial intelligence (AI).
Hut 8 Mining revealed plans to reenergize the rigs moving from the inactive Ontario-based site in Canada. The decision to relocate the 6400 miners is unsurprising considering the legal battle it faces with the third-party energy firm Validus Power. The third-party supply failed to satisfy the contractual obligations prompting the suspension of operations from November 2022.
Restoring Idle Rigs a Priority for Hut 8
The announcement was noncommittal on Hut 8’s perspective concerning the ongoing proceedings. The mining firm quickly rebuffed such inquiries to indicate, instead, the relocation of 6400 miners to Texas aims to restore the idle equipment online.
The firm projects that the restoration of the equipment will conclude by the end of July 2023. It projects to generate 600 petahashes per second with additional capacity. The additional capacity from the specific miners would raise the total installed hash rate towards the 3.2 exahashes per second (EH/s).
Hut 8 confirmed signing a three-month hosting agreement for miners it is relocating from the North Bay site. Nonetheless, Hut 8 indicates that the renewal would occur monthly. Hut 8 confirmed it moved 988 miners’ mining equipment from the Ontario-based North Bay to the Medicine Hat facility within the Alberta region.
Mining Segment Leans Towards AI-Powered Operations
Hut 8 chief executive Jaime Leverton revisited the prevailing trend in the crypto mining ecosystem. He acknowledged that the mining firms had witnessed tough market conditions in the past 18 months.
Leverton lauded the quick recovery of the mining industry in the past few months. She observed that rebound triggered higher momentum than the initial projection. The mining executive attributed the high activity to peers replicating Hut 8 strategic lead in AI computing and high-performance computers.
Leverton reiterated that the mining segment is leaning towards AI-powered operations and high-performance computing. The shift is drawing increased investment, as witnessed in Palo Alto-headquartered Inflection AI realizing a successful funding round. The fundraiser, co-led by Nvidia and Microsoft, earned Inflection AI $1.8 billion. The firm targets to allocate a portion of the investment towards constructing the 22000 Nvidia H100 Tensor GPU installation.
Expand Beyond Bitcoin-based Mining Activities
Leverton indicated that the adverse impact during the prolonged winter period prompted Hut 8 to consider expanding its portfolio to offer additional services. The firm’s chief admitted deploying the infrastructure towards powering solutions and services beyond the customary Bitcoin mining-focused operations.
Pursuing opportunities beyond the typical Bitcoin mining-oriented operations is progressing as anticipated. She revealed signing a five-year agreement to provide computer infrastructure to British Columbia to host the Interior Health Authority services. Leverton confirmed concluding the pilot study through a partnership with XYZ AI, which specializes in 3D generative AI.
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