Bitmain, a prominent global manufacturer of application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC) for Bitcoin, has officially unveiled its latest air-cooled BTC miner, the Antminer T21.
In an X (Twitter) announcement on October 26, Bitmain introduced the world to the Antminer T21, a cutting-edge air-cooling miner engineered to endure ambient temperatures of up to 45 degrees Celsius.
Bitmain’s head of marketing, Xmei Lin, disclosed that the global launch of the Antminer T21 occurred during the Blockchain Life 2023 Forum in Dubai, where Bitmain held a prestigious “diamond sponsor” position.
Bitmain’s state-of-the-art mining device is scheduled for shipment in January 2024, as confirmed by a company representative to Cointelegraph. This air-cooled miner is compatible with the SHA256 mining algorithm, primarily utilized for proof-of-work (PoW) cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin, as well as forked coins such as Bitcoin Cash (BCH) and Bitcoin SV (BSV).
The Antminer T21 boasts an impressive computing power of 190 terahashes per second and exhibits an energy efficiency ratio of 19 joules per terahash.
Bitmain also extended a special offer to Antminer T21 buyers during the event, presenting them with the opportunity to opt for Bitmain’s price protection plan. This plan, available until November 25, 2023, is designed to provide support to miners in the event of a downturn in cryptocurrency prices.
Customers can choose protection periods lasting one month, three months, or six months. Should the BTC price dip below the specified threshold on any day within the protected period, customers will receive immediate cash compensation.
The Antminer T21 is just one of the several mining devices produced by Bitmain, adding to a diverse array of ASIC miners offered by other companies like Canaan, MicroBT, Bitfury, and more.
Canaan, previously known as Avalon, was among the pioneers in releasing a Bitcoin mining ASIC back in January 2013. This breakthrough significantly enhanced hashing power compared to GPU and CPU setups, enabling consumers to mine cryptocurrency on a large scale. A decade later, Canaan is still a major player in the industry and marked its 10th anniversary by launching the A14 series miners in mid-September.
On October 26, Canaan introduced its sustainability-focused A1466 and A1466I miners in the Middle East, featuring both liquid-cooled and air-cooled options.
While companies like Canaan and Bitmain race to introduce new mining devices, the ASIC industry has encountered challenges. As reported earlier by Cointelegraph, the price per terahash for ASIC miners saw a sharp decline of over 80% from its peak in 2021 as of late 2022 due to a flood of new miners entering the market.
In August 2023, blockchain technology firm Blockstream sought to raise $50 million to procure and store mining equipment from secondary markets in anticipation of the Bitcoin halving event in 2024.