Dubai (Aletihad)

A Bitcoining mining facility, headquartered in Dubai, has struck upon a renewable energy solution to solve a costly problem in many of the world’s cold countries.
Genesis Digital Assets (GDA), one of the world’s largest industrial-scale bitcoin mining companies in terms of hash rate, is helping pioneer the way that the industry repurposes the heat it generates, such as heating greenhouses and keeping frozen roads open to urban traffic when temperatures plunge well below zero.
According to the company on its latest innovation, heat generated by a new data centre in the Swedish city of Norsjö will be used as renewable energy to warm a large garage, and keep snow-cleaning trucks running.
The initiative is a collaboration between GDA Sweden AB and local company Muttern Fastigheter. GDA operates 20 data centres with 600 megawatts (MW) of hashpower and over 180,000 mining rigs.
This project redirects waste heat from GDA’s data centre operations to provide 90,000 cubic metres of hot air per hour at 52°Celsius across a 1,200-square-metre garage, addressing a pressing need in Västerbotten County, where temperatures can drop as low as -25°C.
Speaking on the project from GDA’s Dubai office, the company’s Executive President, Abdumalik Mirakhmredov, said: “Our venture into heating a large garage space using computation excess heat is a practical example of how the industry can contribute positively and integrate with local communities.
“We are proud to lead these kinds of efforts in the industry because they reaffirm GDA’s role as a leader in sustainability, and show how bitcoin mining byproducts can be used for community utility.”
In addition to servicing the roads in freezing temperatures, the project in Norsjö also benefits the community by reducing the costs of the operation for a more sustainable development approach.
“GDA’s creative approach to addressing the needs of companies in the area demonstrates a valuable intersection between new technology advancements and local community benefits,” said Beatrice Bergqvist, head of Business and Development at Norsjö Municipality. “We hope for more projects like this in the future.”
GDA already operates several data centres in Sweden, including facilities in Porjus and Örträsk, which both use carbon-free electricity sourced from nearby hydroelectric power stations.
Jörgen Lindström, co-owner of Muttern Fastigheter, said: “When we met with GDA and first learned about this idea, we were amazed by the great opportunities this industry presents to local communities worldwide. I truly believe this could be the future of heating.”
For this latest project, the company set up the facility, with a power capacity exceeding 500KW running 150 machines that generate a hashrate of 14 PH per second. The electricity used is entirely renewable, thanks to its proximity to the 122 MW Vargfors Hydroelectric Power Station.