Starcloud, an Nvidia-backed orbital data center startup, said it will connect Bitcoin ASICs to mine the cryptocurrency in space when its second spacecraft launches later this year.

Bitcoin miners are facing historically low margins and are responding by pivoting some operations to AI infrastructure.

Two of the most important ecosystems in proof-of-work mining are SHA-256 and Scrypt — each with its own hardware requirements, economics, and strategic considerations.

Bitcoin mining began in 2009 as a hobby-friendly activity where users could earn BTC using CPUs and later GPUs. By 2026, the landscape has shifted entirely to industrial-scale operations dominated by ...