AntPool, the second largest Bitcoin (BTC) mining pool, mined seven consecutive blocks on Might 17, elevating community safety issues throughout the cryptocurrency neighborhood.
This sequence of blocks confirmed 20,686 transactions, leading to greater than 23 BTC, value roughly $1.54 million in income.
The mining came about between block heights 843.898 and 843.904 and lasted one hour and 38 minutes.
Information sourced from mempool.area reveals that AntPool has accrued 1,283 BTC in charges, along with 21,875 BTC from the block subsidy.
What makes this improvement intriguing is the involvement of Foundry USA, the most important Bitcoin mining pool, which mined the block previous to this sequence and the next two blocks.
AntPool has mined 25.48% of all blocks previously seven days, trailing Foundry USA, which controls 31.12% of the community’s hashrate.
Collectively, each corporations keep a mining dominance of 56.6%. In October 2023, Antpool briefly challenged Foundry’s management for 3 days.
This occasion underlines the inherent dangers related to centralized mining swimming pools, particularly their susceptibility to assaults resembling double-spending and transaction censorship.
Observers famous that AntPool and Foundry now management greater than 50% of Bitcoin’s hash price, elevating issues about potential centralization and transaction censorship.
“Such a focus of energy poses an existential risk to Bitcoin’s decentralized nature and its basic precept of trustlessness,” TOBTC Buying and selling LLC wrote on social media.
AntPool was based in 2013 by Bitmain Applied sciences, a number one mining {hardware} producer.
It’s situated in Beijing.
Nationwide safety issues over crypto mining
The US authorities has ordered a Chinese language-backed cryptocurrency mining firm to halt development of a mine in Wyoming.
Beneath a Might 13 order signed by President Joe Biden, MineOne Cloud Computing Funding and its companions are directed to promote the property subsequent to the Francis E. Warren Air Pressure Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
MineOne Companions Ltd. is a Chinese language-backed cryptocurrency mining firm that deliberate to amass land close to the Francis E. Warren Air Pressure Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming
The order, issued in coordination with the U.S. Committee on Overseas Funding in the US (CFIUS), goals to deal with issues surrounding potential dangers related to international possession of land adjoining to delicate army installations, notably within the proximity to a nuclear missile base like Warren. FIG.
The chief order mandates the divestiture of MineOne’s crypto mining facility and the elimination of Chinese language-owned gear from the positioning inside particular timelines to make sure compliance and mitigate danger.
In different studies, regulators in Norway have proposed new laws geared toward tightening rules on cryptocurrency mining actions carried out by knowledge facilities working within the nation.
The brand new regulation, geared toward regulating knowledge facilities, is poised to change into a groundbreaking framework in Europe, requiring complete registration of knowledge middle operators and disclosure of the providers provided.
The Norwegian authorities, led by Digital Minister Karianne Tung and Power Minister Terje Aasland, is emphasizing the necessity to curb tasks deemed undesirable, with specific emphasis on cryptocurrency mining because of its important greenhouse fuel emissions.
Minister of Power Terje Aasland explicitly declared that Norway doesn’t welcome corporations that wish to exploit the nation’s vitality sources cheaply, in step with the nation’s environmental targets.