HashrateUp - A Bitcoin Mining Podcast

In this episode of HashrateUp, Jesse breaks down the biggest Bitcoin mining stories of the week: why public miners are selling Bitcoin to fund AI pivots, what that means for difficulty and hash rate, and why the miners still online are quietly winning. Topics covered: Wintermute's Epoch 5 report on the structurally different mining cycle, mullet mining (AI in the front, SHA-256 in the back), oil price impact on global hash rate, MicroBT's new M7D series, Hive expanding AI data centers in Canada, Bitdeer hitting 68 EH/s and launching a Scrypt miner, Kango's $450M net loss and $305...

🔗 Kent Halliburton: Website: https://sazmining.comX (Twitter): https://x.com/khalliburtonLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/khalliburton In this episode of HashrateUp, Jesse sits down with Kent Halliburton, CEO & Co-Founder of Sazmining, to break down what it actually looks like to mine Bitcoin across five sites on four continents. Kent walks through Sazmining's journey from a single-megawatt proof of concept in Wisconsin to operating 17.5 MW across Paraguay, Norway, Ethiopia, South Dakota and an upcoming Texas site. They discuss how AI data center demand is reshaping rack space availability, why Sazmining's 15% revenue share model becomes esp...

In this episode of HashrateUp, Jesse breaks down the biggest Bitcoin mining stories of the week, from billion-dollar AI pivots to a historic Bitcoin milestone and a surprise opportunity in South Africa. Enscale, spun out of Bitcoin mining operator Archon Energy, raised $2 billion backed by Nvidia, Jane Street, Citadel, Dell, and Lenovo for AI infrastructure. TeraWolf secured a $3.2 billion Google credit backstop to pivot from mining to AI compute. Foundry is expanding into Zcash as $30 hash price compresses pool margins. The 20 millionth Bitcoin was mined last week with just 1 million left over the next decade. And Eskom...

In this FOCUS episode, Jesse breaks down the AI pivot sweeping through Bitcoin mining — and why the miners still online are quietly winning. Public miners like Marathon, Core Scientific, TeraWulf, and Bitfarms are selling Bitcoin at record pace, unplugging hash rate, and redirecting billions into AI infrastructure. The result: network difficulty is dropping for the first time in years and hash rate is stagnating. Jesse walks through the latest headlines chronologically — from CoreWeave's $8.5B loan to OpenAI's $110B funding round — and explains the self-reinforcing loop driving the exodus. His thesis: if your breakeven is low enough...

🔗 Bob Burnett: Website: https://barefootmining.com X (Twitter): https://x.com/BobBurnett_BTC LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/bobburnett In this episode of HashrateUp, Jesse sits down with Bob Burnett, founder of Barefoot Mining and board member at Ocean Mining Pool, to break down the critical difference between hashing and actually mining Bitcoin and why it matters more than ever. Most operators think they're mining Bitcoin. Bob argues they're not, they're hashers, handing over block template control, mempool management, and protocol signaling to a third party. The episode unpacks how...

In this HashrateUp Focus episode, Jesse breaks down how to properly compare ASIC prices – and why looking at the sticker price alone can be misleading. Jesse walks through two key metrics every miner should know: dollars per terahash ($/TH) and efficiency-adjusted pricing ($/TH/eff). Using a live spreadsheet, he shows how dividing total price by hashrate gives you a standardized way to compare machines – and then takes it a step further by factoring in efficiency (joules per terahash) to reveal the true cost premium between models like the M70 and S21 XP. The episode provides a pr...

🔗 Wilson Pool: https://wilsonmining.io In this HashrateUp Focus episode, Jesse breaks down Wilson Pool – a bare-bones FPPS mining pool with some of the lowest fees in the industry at just 0.38%. Jesse explores how Wilson Pool works, why it routes hash rate through SBI Crypto as a primary pool, and what the primary vs. secondary pool model means for smaller operations. He walks through the trade-off between feature-rich pools like Luxor or Brains and ultra-low-fee alternatives – and at what stage of your operation it makes sense to make the switch. The episode provides a pract...

🔗 Spencer Marr: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencermarr/ 🔗 Sangha Renewables: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sangha-systems/Website: https://sangarenewables.com In this episode of HashrateUp, Jesse sits down with Spencer Marr, President at Sangha Renewables, to break down how their 20MW solar mining project with Total Energies stays profitable even at hash price $30. Spencer explains Sangha's project finance approach to Bitcoin mining, how they achieved 2.8¢/kWh all-in power costs through behind-the-meter co-location, and why their strike price arbitrage strategy allows them to maintain 85% uptime while staying cash flow positive. The conversation covers...

🔗 Tom Merkle (Hashbranch): Website: https://hashbranch.comLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomasmerkle/ In this episode of HashrateUp, Jesse sits down with Tom Merkle from Hashbranch to discuss survival strategies as Bitcoin mining enters unprecedented territory with hash price dropping below $30. What's covered in this episode: Jesse and Tom break down the current market conditions: Bitcoin at $64k, hash price at $29, and a -13% difficulty adjustment on the horizon. They analyze what's driving this downturn, compare it to historical crashes like the China mining ban, and discuss why the fundamentals of mining economics haven't changed des...

Calculator: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1HkLAbjzJyn69gE0m7MXtWTA3eUQG-eOK6K8wlYh_SHY/edit?usp=sharing In this episode of HashrateUp, Jesse breaks down hydro mining as a low-risk Bitcoin mining strategy with extended profitability through profit-split hosting arrangements. Jesse explores the fundamental question every miner faces: should you buy Bitcoin directly or invest in mining hardware? He examines hydro mining's advantages—7.5¢/kWh hosting, 95% uptime guarantees, superior physical longevity, and flexible profit-split agreements that activate when machines approach break-even. Through detailed ROI scenarios (bullish: 20 months, bearish: 85 months), he demonstrates how these arrangements work fin...

🔗 Stefan Kern: Website: https://www.bitkern.com/ X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/bitkern LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stefan-kern-bitkern/ In dieser Episode von HashrateUp spricht Jesse mit Stefan Kern, CEO der Bitkern Group aus Österreich, über das Überleben und den Aufbau eines profitablen Bitcoin-Mining-Geschäfts in einem zunehmend wettbewerbsintensiven Markt. Stefan teilt seine Erfahrungen aus acht Jahren Bitcoin Mining – von den Anfängen in einem österreichischen Wasserkraftwerk bis hin zu einem global operierenden Service-Provider mit 50 MW Kapazität. Die Diskussion behandelt die größten Herausforderungen beim Mining in verschiedenen Jurisdiktionen, warum viele "Emerging Markets" zu riskant sin...

📊 This Waste Problem Could Make Bitcoin Mining Carbon Negative In this episode of HashrateUp, Jesse sits down with Daniel Batten, Managing Partner at CH4 Capital, to break down one of the most misunderstood topics in Bitcoin mining: vented gas and landfill methane mining. We explore how Bitcoin mining can turn unburned methane from landfills into ultra-low-cost energy. Daniel explains the difference between flare gas and vented gas, why methane is far more dangerous than CO₂ in the short term, and how a relatively small number of landfill projects could theoretically make the Bitcoin network carbon negat...

🔗 Bitcoin Mining Stocks https://bitcoinminingstock.io/ 📊 Pure-Play Bitcoin Miners in the Age of AI In this episode of HashrateUp, Jesse speaks with Cindy Feng, founder of Bitcoin Mining Stocks and former Bitdeer IR & marketing team member, about the state of public Bitcoin mining companies in 2026. With hashprice around 38, a -3.58% difficulty adjustment, and an ASIC market in free fall (S21s trading at $6–7), the economics for public miners have fundamentally shifted. Cindy breaks down the widening divide in the market: miners pivoting toward AI/HPC are seeing 200–300% stock gains, while pure-play Bitcoin mi...

📩 Free 5 Day Bitcoin Mining Course https://hashrateup.com/newsletter-sign-up/ 5 day Bitcoin Mining Course In this HashrateUp Focus episode, Jesse breaks down the recent Bitcoin mining difficulty drops and explains why the network is going through one of the most unusual periods in its history. The episode puts the current multi-week difficulty decline into historical context, compares it to events like the 2011 bear market and the China mining ban, and explains what’s driving hash rate offline today — from extreme weather events to structural shifts as public miners pivot toward AI data centers. Jesse also covers the imp...

📩 Free 5 Day Bitcoin Mining Course https://hashrateup.com/newsletter-sign-up/ In this HashrateUp Focus episode, Jesse explains what mining shares are, why pools use them, and how stale and rejected shares directly impact miner payouts. The episode breaks down how pools verify work without checking every hash, what causes stale shares, and why share efficiency is a key metric for running a clean and profitable mining operation. 🛠 Sponsored by Hashbranch Code: HASHRATEUP100 https://hashbranch.com SoloMining.de Code: HASHRATEUP https://solomining.de Altair Techno...

🔗 https://stratumprotocol.org 🚀 Why Stratum V2 Matters for Bitcoin Mining In this episode of HashrateUp, Jesse speaks with Pavel Moravec, co-creator of Stratum and long-time Stratum V2 contributor, and Gabriele, lead maintainer of the Stratum V2 Reference Implementation (SRI), about why Stratum V2 is one of the most important infrastructure upgrades in Bitcoin mining. Stratum V2 is the upgrade to the original Stratum (SV1) mining protocol from 2011. It is designed for modern mining operations and improves efficiency, security, privacy, and miner autonomy — without changing Bitcoin’s consensus or the pooled mining model. ⚡ What S...

📄 NiceHash Annual Bitcoin Mining Report 👉 https://www.nicehash.com/annual-bitcoin-mining-report In this episode of HashrateUp, Jesse sits down with Nico Smid, founder of Digital Mining Solutions, to break down the NiceHash Annual Bitcoin Mining Report and what it reveals about the current state of Bitcoin mining. They unpack key insights from the report, including hashrate growth, compressed hashprice, ASIC pricing dynamics, manufacturer self-mining, and why AI and HPC competition is pushing miners toward the fringes of the energy system. Topics covered include: Why mining economics remain under pressure What falling ASIC prices...

In this episode of HashrateUp, Jesse sits down with Kris Konicki from Altair Tech to break down what it really means to scale past home mining and turn Bitcoin mining into a serious investment. They walk through Altair’s typical customer journey — from first exposure via small home miners like the Nano or Avalon Q, to deploying real capital into hosted or larger-scale operations. Kris explains why education, hands-on experience, and transparency matter before committing meaningful money to mining. The conversation also covers current network conditions, hashrate stagnation, limited visibility outside North America, and how new...

In this episode of HashrateUp, Jesse sits down with Alen Makhmetov, Co-Founder of Hashlabs, to unpack what Bitcoin mining in Russia actually looks like beyond headlines and speculation. Alen shares firsthand experience operating mining infrastructure across Kazakhstan, Russia, and Northern Europe. He explains how mining regulation evolves in practice: rising power prices, changing tax regimes, import duties, curtailment, FX risk, and why governments rarely ban mining outright — instead, they make it gradually unprofitable. In the second half, the conversation goes deep into Bitcoin mining heat reuse. Using real-world projects in Finland, Alen breaks down how mi...

In this HashrateUp Focus episode, Jesse breaks down how Bitcoin miners are actually built — using a real Antminer S9 and modern ASIC designs to explain what’s inside a mining machine. The episode walks through the core components of an ASIC miner, including the chassis, airflow, fans, control board, firmware, power delivery, hashboards, and the individual ASIC chips themselves. Jesse explains how air cooling works, how control boards manage hashboards, and why chip density and layout matter for thermal performance. The second half compares older-generation miners with modern designs, covering integrated power supplies, hot-swappable fans, remo...