By Josh Perry, Editor
[email protected]

Cryptocurrency mining is a growing industry across the world and it is an industry that requires significant amounts of energy resources. A recent article from Electronic Design explores the thermal management innovations that are required to keep cryptocurrency mining operating at profitable levels.

Bitcoin mining requires a significant amount of energy resources. (Wikimedia Commons)

Mining hardware has adapted to the computing power required to meet today’s network hash rate. That includes the development in 2013 of the first ASIC chip specifically for Bitcoin mining. According to the article, the introduction of the ASIC chip increased the hash rate range and the price of Bitcoin within a year.

“The ASIC mining rig, which will have multiple PCBs filled with Bitcoin-hashing ASICs, consumes about 1 kW,” the article continued. “Rather than a collection of existing systems, this type of rig has more of a holistic cooling approach. The cooling strategy might therefore involve forced convection with two fans in a push-pull arrangement.”

ASIC chips can also have heat sinks mounted with thermal adhesive.

Bitcoin mining farms, similar to data centers and other large-scale computing centers, require more holistic approaches to cooling, which is why many are located in northern locations such as Iceland or Scandinavia where the weather is cooler.

“Nearly all of the technical innovation in the Bitcoin mining industry has happened at the IC package level with the development of the Bitcoin mining ASIC,” the article noted. “Innovations continue at the IC package level that will no doubt provide higher hash rates, but presumably at an increased power.”

Some of the promising developments on the horizon are immersion cooling, other liquid cooling applications, and the use of engineered fluids that will enhance heat transfer. The amount of resources required to stay competitive in the market has largely pushed small mining operations out of the industry or forcing mining pools to be created, where resources and rewards are shared.

“Our conclusion from a thermal perspective is that the cost of mining for cryptocurrencies, in terms of electronics cooling capital costs as well as 24/7 electricity usage and maintenance costs, are such that it might be a better use of your cash to buy a lottery ticket, especially with the accelerated gold rush and diminishing number of coins to be mined,” the article concluded.

Read the full article at http://electronicdesign.com/industrial-automation/bitcoin-mining-thermal-perspective.