The USA, land of Bitcoin mining. The United States has become the leading country for mining activity Bitcoin (BTC) since China banned this activity in May 2021. And this American domination is only increasing, since the USA has just exceeded the bar 40 % of the total computing power of the Bitcoin network.
- The United States has exceeded 40% of the total computing power of the Bitcoin network, confirming its dominance in Bitcoin mining after the ban in China.
- The Foundry USA mining pool has experienced extraordinary growth, concentrating 36.5% of the total hashrate, raising concerns about possible centralization.
The Foundry USA mining pool alone accounts for almost 40% of the mining power
According to data from TheMinerMag, the mining pool Foundry USA saw its computing power (or hashrate) pass from 157 exahash/second (EH/s) at the beginning of 2024, at approximately 280 EH/s in December.
With such growth, the Foundry USA pool is today the largest in the Bitcoin network, since it alone concentrates 36,5 % of the total hashrate. And it’s not the only US-based mining pool to be in the top 10, as MARA Pool ranks in 7ème positionwith 4,35 % du hashrate total.
By adding these two pools, the United States therefore concentrates 40,85 % of the computing power of the Bitcoin network. A figure which worries some observers, because it could endanger the decentralization of the queen cryptocurrency.
China, however, remains very present in Bitcoin mining activity
Indeed, if a group of actors managed to control more than 50 % of Bitcoin’s computing power, it could then theoretically carry out an attack called ” 51 % ”, which would allow take control network and modify transactions.
However, as TheMinerMag report reminds us, it is difficult to know the geographical distribution exact calculation power of the Bitcoin network, because mining pools are made up of many individual miners, which may be located in different countries.
Additionally, some minors may use VPN or proxy services to hide their location, particularly in China, where mining activity is officially prohibited. Thus, according to some estimates, mining pools based in China would still control approximately 55 % of the global hashrate, despite the May 2021 ban.
The debate on the centralisation of Bitcoin mining is therefore far from being settled, especially since other countries, such as Kazakhstanthe Russia or the Canadahave also seen their share of hashrate increase in recent years. But for the moment the United States remains the undisputed leader in this activity, which represents a major economic and strategic challenge.
