Marathon Patent Group's Ambitious Plans to Lead Bitcoin Mining

Marathon’s Granite-like Plans

The Nevada-based Marathon Patent Group is flexing its muscles in the cryptocurrency mining arena, sporting a new purchase of 10,000 Antminer S-19 Pro ASICs. This colossal acquisition is designed to propel Marathon to the forefront of Bitcoin mining in North America. This humorous game of digital musical chairs has them aiming for an operational hash rate of 2.56 exahashes per second (EH/s) by July 2021, which is enough to account for about 1.9% of the entire Bitcoin network’s hashing power. It’s clear that being a mining giant is no small task—but if anyone can do it, it’s Marathon.

The Chronicles of Delivery

Now, let’s talk logistics. These cutting-edge miners will arrive slowly, laced with anticipation, over the course of six months. Aside from 500 units making their grand entrance in November of this year, the rest will trickle in throughout the first half of 2021. The schedule is juicy: 4,000 in January, 6,300 in February, followed by 4,800 in March, and another 1,800 staggered through April to June. If only we could track these miners like we do Santa’s sleigh, right?

The Rivalry Heats Up

Let’s not forget about the competition! Just when you thought Marathon was out of the woods, Riot Blockchain threw down the gauntlet earlier this month by announcing their own purchase of 2,500 S19 Pros, destined for deployment by December. Riot had initially aimed for a 2.3 EH/s hashrate by June 2021. Their current capacity is 519 pentahashes per second (PH/s), significantly outpacing Marathon’s approximately 300 PH/s. It’s like a high-stakes poker game where each player one-ups each other—where all bets seem to lean toward who can flex more hashing power.

Layer1’s Legal Daydreams

Meanwhile, Texas-based Layer 1 is facing some hiccups on its quest to stake a claim for 30% of the global hash rate. A U.S. district judge recently rejected their motion to dismiss a patent infringement suit brought forth by tech firm Lancium. According to Lancium, Layer1’s operations breach their patent for a system that manages data center power in response to electricity price fluctuations. Imagine trying to swipe a friend’s cookie and getting caught—talk about souring the mining mood!

What’s Next for Bitcoin Mining?

With Marathon gunning for the crown and Riot breathing down their necks, the competition in North America is heating up faster than a laptop on a gaming binge. It’s an exciting time to be a part of the Bitcoin mining saga. Who will emerge as the top dog when the dust settles? Stay tuned!