In the world of Bitcoin mining, a recent shakeup has changed the usual landscape: Bitmain-linked Antpool has risen to the top spot as the largest mining pool in terms of monthly blocks mined.
This milestone marks a significant change, as since early 2022, Foundry USA had firmly held this position thanks to the boom in mining operations in North America following the crackdown in China in 2021.
Antpool’s rise has not been sudden, but rather a steady advance. Although it always remained in second position, its hashrate began to narrow the gap with Foundry USA from June of the current year.
This increase has coincided with Bitmain, the parent company, shipping more than 4,800 metric tons of Antminer S19XP and S19XP Hydro to its subsidiary in Georgia between June and November.
These combined shipments are estimated at a hashrate greater than 37 EH/s.
The precise distribution and activation of this imported Bitmain hashrate remain a mystery
Bitmain’s recent actions, such as temporarily suspending payments to its employees in October due to unsatisfactory performance metrics at mining sites, suggest that the company may have been deploying these miners for its own benefit.
It is intriguing to note that despite leading in terms of blocks mined, data shows that Antpool’s reported real-time hashrate has consistently remained behind that of Foundry USA over the past three months.
This discrepancy raises questions about whether it is due to variations in mining luck or if there is some error in Antpool’s real-time hashrate recording.
This change at the top of Bitcoin mining underscores the constant evolution and competitiveness within this sector.
As Antpool takes the lead, unanswered questions remain about how exactly these mining resources have been deployed and whether more changes will be on the horizon.
Some doubts still surround this new order, leaving room for speculation and vigilance in the crypto community.
