The Bitcoin Energy Debate: Lessons from the Data Center Industry
Some of the more than 4,000 cryptocurrency ASIC miners in Riot Blockchain mining facility. (Image: PRNewsfoto/Riot Blockchain, Inc.)
There’s a vigorous debate underway about the environmental impact of Bitcoin, featuring strong opinions from both critics and defenders of cryptocurrency mining.
We’ve seen this debate before, and we know how it probably ends. The data center industry faced similar critiques in 2010-11, when its use of coal-powered energy came under fire from Greenpeace and The New York Times.
Ten years later, the data center industry is the largest user of renewable energy on the planet. Cloud computing platforms from Google, Microsoft, Facebook and Amazon Web Services are among the biggest buyers of wind and solar energy, followed closely by data center service providers Equinix, Switch, QTS Data Centers and Digital Realty.
disaster. but it s kind of the headline risk. just like most people in businesses have not been directly hurt by the tariffs, it s all they read about, and now they ll be reading about gas problems and oil production short shortages. it just adds to the mixture that s very negative for confidences, especially businesses. trump made a response about releasing reserves. he also called on agencies to expedite pipeline production, some of the projects in the works in texas and other places, which is kind of interesting in that the release from the reserves should hold the markets over for a while, but meanwhile, this was a single biggest disruption since the first gulf war to oil markets. and even though the u.s. has become the largest producer of crude, that kind of disruption shows what sort of pivotal roles saudis still play in global oil markets. there s a supply element and a psychology of the markets. does it matter that the president is having these
how solid is american growth in the economy. i think there is some slowdown in some of the interest rates. employment is quite strong. i think in the the outlook is quite good going into next year. there are some headline risk that were in the market. i think the economy itself is quite good. part of them they were up is so much last year. they can of kind of built in some of the growth. from last year to this year. i think also it is traded, i
a lot of market turmoil. how solid is american growth in the economy. i think there is some slowdown in some of the interest rates. employment is quite strong. i think in the the outlook is quite good going into next year. there are some headline risk that were in the market. i think the economy itself is quite good. part of them they were up is so much last year. they can of kind of built in some of the growth. from last year to this year.
u.s. wants to extradite her. markets hate uncertainty and her arrests complicates a 90-day negotiation. and that it closed down just 79 points, and the nasdaq was higher and the s&p 500 closed down just a fraction. the morning selling frenzy, even though china confirmed they were going to continue the trade talks, and the general report is fed officials are waiting to signal a tpha wait and see approach. president trump, as you know, repeatedly criticized the fed chair and fed for raising rates this year. futures down by triple digits so anything can happen this morning. a lot of headline risk here. another crazy day coming.