Bitcoin News Today: Bitcoin Miners Get Modular Superweapon: Proto Rig Aims to Overtake Bitmain

Block Inc., parent company of the popular payment platform Square, has unveiled its latest innovation in the Bitcoin mining industry: the Proto Rig, a modular mining rig designed to challenge the dominance of Bitmain, which has held over 80% of the market for much of Bitcoin's history [1]. Developed in collaboration with Core Scientific, the Proto Rig represents a significant shift in mining hardware design, focusing on modularity, maintenance efficiency, and scalability—key areas where traditional mining equipment has lagged behind advancements in the broader data center industry [1].

The Proto Rig’s modular design allows for seamless part replacements and upgrades, reducing downtime and maintenance costs. Unlike traditional mining rigs, which often require full unit replacement for upgrades or repairs, the Proto Rig enables miners to replace individual components quickly without removing the entire unit. Block claims this design could extend the lifecycle of the mining rigs while reducing the cost of upgrades by 15-20% per cycle [1]. This modular approach also allows miners to customize the number of chips they want to run, adapting the hardware to their specific operational needs and resource constraints.

The rig’s efficiency is another notable feature, with an energy consumption rate of 14.1 joules per terahash, rivaling the most advanced industrial miners like Bitmain’s Antminer S21 XP and MicroBT’s Whatsminer M66S [1]. Moreover, the Proto Rig is designed to be liquid-cooled and accommodate modular fans, suggesting the hardware can be adapted for different use cases, from large-scale industrial mining to the growing home mining market [1]. While current models require a 12 kilowatt power draw—more than most home miners can handle—Proto’s leadership has hinted at potential future products tailored for smaller operators [1].

In terms of software innovation, the Proto Rig comes with support for Stratum V2 by default, a significant step toward improving Bitcoin’s network security and decentralization. Stratum V2 is a more efficient protocol that allows for native hashrate auditing, helping to identify and mitigate issues like miner misconfiguration or unwanted divergence. This move is expected to accelerate the adoption of Stratum V2, which has seen slow uptake due to the high software development burden it places on mining pools [1]. By embedding this technology into its hardware, Proto aims to make decentralized mining more accessible and secure, aligning with broader community efforts to protect Bitcoin’s censorship-resistant properties.

Additionally, Proto has announced the open-sourcing of its mining management software, Fleet, designed to streamline operations for mining operators of all sizes. The software consolidates various tools into a single interface, reducing the complexity of managing mining hardware and allowing for automation and AI-driven insights. Fleet features secure boot technology to prevent supply chain and malware attacks, as well as tools for real-time diagnostics and alerts [1]. While the software is yet to be publicly released, its integration with AI promises to enhance operational efficiency and simplify user experiences for both enterprise and smaller miners.

The Proto Rig is already making its way into the market, with shipments beginning to Core Scientific and other partners. According to Proto’s Product & ASIC Lead, Max Guise, the rigs are customizable, and pricing and availability are being handled directly by the company’s sales team [1]. As the Bitcoin mining industry continues to evolve—particularly with the growing influence of AI and high-performance computing—Proto’s entry into the hardware space signals a potential shift in how mining operations are structured, managed, and optimized.

Source:

[1] Block Inc. Launches Proto Rig: Modular Bitcoin Miner Challenging Bitmain’s Dominance (https://bitcoinmagazine.com/bitcoin-mining/block-inc-launches-proto-rig-modular-bitcoin-miner-challenging-bitmains-dominance)

[2] Miners lean on BTC price rise, manufacturing, HPC (https://coingeek.com/miners-lean-on-btc-price-rise-manufacturing-hpc/)