Bitcoin mining finds a new epicenter

The Pakistan government will allocate 2,000 megawatts (2GW) of electric power to feed Bitcoin Mining Centers (BTC) and artificial intelligence (AI), according to the local media Dawn on May 25.

This initiative, led by the Crypto Council of Pakistan (PCC), marks a new step in the strategy of this Asian country to position itself as a new activity center in the Bitcoin ecosystem, with the purpose of monopolizing foreign investments and promote economic growth, according to the source cited.

Pakistan is presented as a new Bitcoin miners center

The intentions proposed by the Pakistani government They have captured Bitcoin miners’ attention And data infrastructure companies internationally, with several delegations visiting the country to explore investment opportunities, according to Dawn. Additionally, PCC Council officials anticipated that the interest of global actors would grow in the coming weeks, which could consolidate Pakistan as an attractive destination for the industry.

In addition, Pakistan’s decision to assign a significant amount of energy to Bitcoin mining is framed in a process towards the legalization and regulation of cryptocurrencies.

To dimension the magnitude of the 2,000 megawatt plant that Pakistan will allocate to Bitcoin mining and AI centers, it can generate enough energy for supply about 2.4 million homes In the US state, New York, where each home consumed for 2024 an average 599 kWh per month, according to a report on May 23.

This calculation is obtained by estimating that a New York home USA 7,188 kWh per year (599 kWh X 12 months) and divide the annual energy of the Pakistani plant (17,520 million kWh) between that value, which is equivalent to about 30% of the average electricity consumption of all New York households in 2024.

Additionally, contemplating that if half of the 2,000 megawatts (1,000 MW) assigned by Pakistan would go to Bitcoin mining, it could be concluded that those 1,000 MW would produce sufficient energy for operate around 260,000 equipment ASIC S21 PRO of the Chinese company Bitmain, which consume 3,510 W each. This calculation considers that 1,000 MW equals 1,000 million watts, sufficient to feed those equipment with 90% efficiency, taking into account refrigeration losses and other operational factors.

The potential impact on the Bitcoin Network

Bitcoiner analyst Daniel Batten has projected that this new energy capacity could allow Pakistan to generate approximately «17,000 BTC per yearassuming that 50% of the 2,000 MW is destined exclusively to Bitcoin mining and latest generation equipment with an activity time of 95% is used ».

At the time of this wording, and according to hashrat index data, the Pakistan miners contribute estimated 0.3 eh/s (exahasos per second) to the total computing power of the Bitcoin Network, which represents only 0.037% of the global hashrate.

While today according to the hashrate Index data, the processing power of Pakistani miners does not seem relevant compared to other powers of this industry (USA or Russia, for example), the future impact of the 2,000 MW could increase that statistic notoriously.

In that sense, Batten warns that the hashrate of the network would reach an average of “1,200 eh/s” By the time this infrastructure is fully operational, so the impact of Pakistan could be significant, also increasing the difficulty of global mining.

At the beginning of April, the Pakistan government had already announced plans to use Bitcoin mining as a tool for Take advantage of the excess of electricity not consumedaccording to cryptootics. This surplus, which is partly due to the growing use of renewable sources such as solar energy, has generated an imbalance between production and demand in the country’s electricity grid.

Bitcoin mining, being an activity that can operate continuously and absorb large amounts of energy, is presented as a solution for Optimize this infrastructure and relieve pressure on the network.

In such a way, the latest measures promoted by the Pakistan government, position this country in southern Asia as a new possible epicenter of Bitcoin mining.