Two of the world's largest bitcoin miners are battling over a small town in Texas

In "Rockdale" (Rockdale) rural with a population of 5,600 people located in the state of Texas , US, compete two of the biggest names in mining Alpetkoan for a share in the encrypted currency market, according to a report of the site , "CNBC" (CNBC).

These two competitors are: Bitdeer - a subsidiary of the Chinese giant Bitcoin mining company Bitmain - and Riot Blockchain, one of the largest mining companies traded in America, is a few steps away; Both are leaseholds of property formerly occupied by the aluminum maker Alcoa.

He earns more than 50 thousand dollars a year These are the skills that a bitcoin mining worker needs

Riot's Winstone mine is open to the media daily, while Ptdair is a secluded and not very welcoming to visitors.

"In this industry, everyone thinks they're in a very secretive field, but the truth is much simpler than that," Chad Harris, CEO of Riot Blockchain, told CNBC. You add a bunch of hardware, and you mine bitcoins.”

Pause?

An hour northeast of Austin, Rockdale looks like any classic country town in America. Rockdale offers all the perks to Bitcoin miners, from crypto-supporting politicians, swathes of land, previously abandoned industrial infrastructure ready for reuse, and the ability to connect systems to the Texas power grid.

Because miners work in an industry where energy is the main variable cost, cheap energy is an important reason for migration and stability; So competition between energy providers in Texas is good for miners.

Rockdale was once home to the world's largest aluminum plant, operated by Alcoa, but starting in 2008 the plant began shutting down, wasting the plant's energy and infrastructure, and the arrival of crypto miners resolved the flaw.

Politicians support mining

“There were a lot of things wrong, but I think Bitcoin has the potential to address a lot of aspects of that,” Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, said of the winter storm in early 2021 that devastated much of the state.

Cruz's views on Bitcoin and the mining industry that he recently presented at the Texas Blockchain Summit in Austin have proven significant.

In his keynote interview at the recent summit, Cruz noted the importance of bitcoin miners being able to turn on or off within seconds, a very useful feature at times when the state needs power.

"A lot of the discussion about bitcoin is that it's seen as an energy consumer," Cruz said. "The perspective I'm proposing is pretty much the opposite, as I see it as a way to strengthen our energy infrastructure."

US Riot Blockchain and Winston Mine

Chad Harris laid the foundation stone for his company in January 2020 when the bitcoin price was $4,100, and they ran the mine when the price was at $6,100.

The currency finally reached a new record price of nearly $67,000 in mid-October.

"When we came here, this place was a forest, we didn't have power lines," Harris told CNBC from his office.

After 183 days, in June of 2020, the Winston mine began mining, and Harris estimates that on day one they had 300% more capacity than PtDeer.

This competition makes the eyes of gold dreamers turn to this small city, which is what those in charge of it see as an advantage, and they hope that mining technology will bring prosperity to this city and its people.