Africa Is Poised For A Bitcoin Mining Boon

Naslovi o rudarjenju so običajno polni omemb Severna Amerika in Asia, z občasnimi omembami Latinska Amerika. Toda druga regija sveta kaže nekaj neopaženih znakov doslednega zanimanja za rudarski sektor.

This article explores some data that shows interest from African nations in mining and profiles a few companies known to be mining in the region, with all of this contextualized by Africa’s widely-reported general interest in Bitcoin as a plausible precursor to a booming mining industry.

Data On African Bitcoin Mining

Google Trends are some of the most frequently cited data sets in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrency circles to demonstrate interest, sentiment shifts and various market conditions. The reliability and accuracy of this data is never perfect, but it often does generally reflect reality.

So, who is searching about bitcoin mining the most?

Glede na Google Trends v času pisanja je odgovor več afriških držav. Tudi ta podatek je bil opazili rudarska raziskovalna skupina Compass Mining pred skoraj enim letom in velja še danes. 

Tukaj je 10 najboljših držav uvrstitev by regional search interest in bitcoin mining from the past year:

1. Nigerija
2. Zimbabve
3. Kamerun
4. Etiopija
5. Mauritius
6. Gana
7. Albanija
8. Južna Afrika
9. Mjanmar
10. Kenija

Toda ali so ti podatki pomembni? Podatki o iskanju iz ZDA, na primer, ponujajo malo več barve v podatkih Google Trends, ki lahko odražajo nekatere realnosti rudarske industrije v resničnem svetu. Po omejitvi na iskanja v ZDA, prikazuje Google Trends Wyoming as the top-ranked location for bitcoin mining queries. And, in fact, this state is one of the largest and fastest growing hubs for mining in the U.S. suggesting Google Trends data reflects legitimate industry action.

African Bitcoin Mining Status Quo

Despite interest in the topic, most signs point to African countries collectively representing a small percentage of Bitcoin’s total hash rate. Data zbrani by the Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance, for example, claim that no African country contributes more than 0.14% of Bitcoin’s hash rate. That amount apparently comes from Egypt, the region’s largest hash rate contributor. This data set is notoriously problematično, vendar je na splošno rudarska dejavnost v celotni regiji razmeroma majhna.

Rudarstvo v Afriki se kljub temu dogaja in raste. BigBlock DC je odličen primer rudarskega podjetja, ki deluje v regiji. Ima skupno rabo fotografije in videi gradenj objektov na Twitter. Poleg tega obstajajo Poročila dejavnosti sončnega rudarjenja zunaj omrežja v Zimbabveju. In gansko IT podjetje je trdilo, da bo spodbudilo prvo rudarsko operacijo v regiji že leta 2016.

Africa’s Potential To Power Bitcoin Mining

Few things excite Bitcoin miners more than cheap, abundant energy. Considering Africa’s potential future as a regional mining hub, its abundant energy resources are key. Here’s an overview.

Afriške države imajo nekatere od Največji neizkoriščen potencial za obsežni razvoj hidroelektrarn na svetu. Že zdaj je glavni vir »čiste« energije v regiji in načrtovani razvoj pomeni, da ne kaže znakov izgubljanja tempa.

Afrika ima tudi več potencialnih sončnih virov kot katera koli druga celina, čeprav razvoj sončne energije ni razširjen ali pomemben. Ena študija je pokazala, da solarna elektrarna pokriva 0.3% Severne Afrike bi lahko zagotovila vso energijo, potrebno za napajanje Evropske unije.

Sežgani plin je tudi močan tekmec kot vir energije za afriško rudarsko dejavnost. Angola je na primer že iskala načine za monetizirati svojo dejavnost sežiganja plina in je drugi največji proizvajalec surove nafte v regiji.

Jedrska energija je ena najbolj redkih oblik energije v Afriki. Od 54 držav v regiji le Južna Afrika je operational nuclear facilities. South Africa currently generates over 10 billion kilowatt hours (KWh) baseload electricity at the Koeberg nuclear power station in Cape Town. Bitcoin miners and the nuclear energy industry are rapidly forming strong relationships, and hopefully this trend extends to Africa to catalyze more nuclear development.

Beyond Bitcoin Mining

Setting aside the mining sector, Africa’s leading role in growing global Bitcoin use is no secret. A steady stream of headlines over the past few years in particular have highlighted the region’s surge in interest for Bitcoin from investors, developers, merchants and other users. For instance:

• Izvršni direktor Paxfula Ray Youssef pravi, da je Afrika "vodi” cryptocurrency adoption
• Square CEO Jack Dorsey says Africa “bodo definirali prihodnost” of Bitcoin
• Programi, kot so Qala are recruiting and training Bitcoin developers
• Even the UN has opazili Bitcoin and crypto use in Africa
• Srednjeafriška republika je the second country to adopt bitcoin as legal tender
• Kenya has one of the highest per capita levels of bitcoin ownership, glede na poročilo ZN

Widespread interest in buying and using bitcoin typically precedes strong interest in mining bitcoin, too. China, the U.S. and parts of Latin America, for example, have historically been geographic leaders in bitcoin investment and use, and it’s no coincidence that these regions are also leaders in retail and industrial-scale mining activity. Although it doesn’t necessarily explain all of the apparent interest in mining from various African countries, people who want bitcoin tend to also eventually want to learn how to mine it.

Mining: The Natural Step In Africa’s Bitcoin Journey

Če tvegamo ponoviti očitno, je velik del tega članka špekulativna analiza, ki temelji na nekaj statističnih in anekdotičnih signalih rasti rudarstva po vsej Afriki. Težko je z gotovostjo vedeti, ali ali kdaj bodo deli te regije postali naslednji Texas or Kazahstan za rudarski sektor.

But what is certain is that the existing mining activity there is not slowing and a sustained level of general curiosity about mining is seen in Google Search queries. And, of course, the region’s general interest in understanding, using and building with Bitcoin has been widely reported.

Given Africa’s excitement over Bitcoin and its abundant, diverse energy resources, mining is a natural step in the region’s Bitcoin narrative arc. Africa’s Bitcoin future is no doubt a bright one, and mining could play a prominent role in it.

To je gostujoča objava Zacka Voella. Izražena mnenja so v celoti njihova lastna in ne odražajo nujno mnenj BTC Inc ali Bitcoin Magazine.