Bitmain, one of the world's major manufacturers of Bitcoin Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) devices, has officially unveiled its new air-cooled Bitcoin mining machine, the Antminer T21. The announcement was made via Bitmain's Twitter account on October 26. The Antminer T21 is designed to operate in ambient temperatures of up to 45 degrees Celsius.
Xmei Lin, Bitmain's Head of Marketing, revealed that the global launch of the Antminer T21 occurred at the Blockchain Life 2023 forum in Dubai, where Bitmain acted as a "Diamond Sponsor." According to a Bitmain spokesperson, the new mining equipment is expected to start shipping in January 2024. This air-cooled mining rig is compatible with the SHA256 mining algorithm, making it suitable for mining Proof-of-Work (PoW) cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and its forks, such as Bitcoin Cash, Biosafety Clearing-house, and Bitcoin SV (BSV). The T21 offers an impressive 190 terahashes per second of computing power with an energy efficiency ratio of 19 joules per terahash.
Bitmain also presented Antminer T21 buyers with the opportunity to participate in the Bitmain Price Protection Program, which aims to assist miners in case of cryptocurrency price declines. The program, which remains valid until November 25, 2023, offers customers protection against downward price swings in BTC for periods of one, three, or six months. In the event of the Bitcoin price falling below the strike price on any reference day during the protection period, customers will receive immediate cash compensation.
The Antminer T21 joins the ranks of various mining rigs offered by Bitmain, alongside ASIC miners from companies like Canaan, MicroBT, Bitfury, and others. Canaan, previously known as Avalon and based in China, was among the first global firms to introduce a Bitcoin mining ASIC back in January 2013. They have continued producing new mining machines over the past decade. In mid-September, Canaan marked its tenth anniversary by launching the A14 series of mining machines. On October 26, Canaan introduced the A1466 and A1466I mining machines in the Middle East, featuring options for both liquid cooling and air cooling.
While companies like Canaan and Bitmain continue to release new mining equipment, the ASIC industry has faced challenges in recent years. The price per terahash of ASIC miners plummeted by over 80% from its 2021 peak to the end of 2022 due to an influx of new miners entering the market. In August 2023, blockchain technology company Blockstream sought to raise $50 million to acquire and store mining equipment on the secondary market in preparation for the 2024 Bitcoin halving event.
