Bitmain's BTC.com Is Launching an Ethereum Mining Pool

BTC.com will now offer ethereum and ethereum classic mining pools, as well as a block explorer, the company announced Thursday.

AccessTimeIconAug 30, 2018 at 12:00 p.m. UTC
Updated Sep 13, 2021 at 8:20 a.m. UTC
10 Years of Decentralizing the Future
May 29-31, 2024 - Austin, TexasThe biggest and most established global hub for everything crypto, blockchain and Web3.Register Now

Bitmain-backed mining pool BTC.com is expanding its offerings to include ethereum and ethereum classic, the company announced Thursday.

BTC.com, which claims to have mined 21 percent of all bitcoin blocks last year, will offer the new mining client through its pool.btc.com portal, and will also offer an ethereum block explorer and API, according to a press release. The service will allow miners to switch their hashing power from one pool to another, depending on the market.

The move is part of an effort to "help ethereum scale its mining infrastructure," the announcement stated.

Bitmain's project director Zhong Zhuang said that the firm hopes "to expand ethereum's network by relaying ... rewards through our [Full Pay Per Share] system," which rewards miners for participating in the pool.

Notably, the new pools will include GPU and CPU mining options, the release indicated, despite the fact that Bitmain released its first ethereum-focused application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) for ethereum earlier this year.

Zhuang explained that the decision to offer GPU and CPU mining comes from the depressed prices across the crypto market this year, telling CoinDesk that "GPU miners are versatile, still profitable and are not easily replaced in a bear market. It's common for miners to split investment into both."

He added:

"Also, there are already ASIC miners for ethereum and ethereum classic which are easier to set up and are dedicated to ethash mining. This will save us from supporting a huge list of GPU coins simultaneously."

Going forward, BTC.com may consider launching mining pools for "popular coins" such as litecoin, zcash and monero, though no concrete plans have yet been made, Zhuang said – although, before any new additions, the service would have to consider a token's network, the quality of its code, its development roadmap and trading volume.

Rachel Rose O'Leary also contributed reporting.

Ethereum image via Shutterstock

Disclosure

Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information has been updated.

CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. In November 2023, CoinDesk was acquired by the Bullish group, owner of Bullish, a regulated, digital assets exchange. The Bullish group is majority-owned by Block.one; both companies have interests in a variety of blockchain and digital asset businesses and significant holdings of digital assets, including bitcoin. CoinDesk operates as an independent subsidiary with an editorial committee to protect journalistic independence. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive options in the Bullish group as part of their compensation.


Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk's longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.