Bitaxe Launches Mini ASIC Miners in El Salvador: A Step Towards Decentralized Bitcoin Mining

• Bitcoin Hardware Store in El Zonte sells Bitaxe mini ASICs to promote decentralized Bitcoin mining in El Salvador.
• Bitaxe Supra, with a hash rate of 750 GH/s and 18 watts power usage, costs about $5 monthly.

In El Salvador, the Bitcoin Hardware Store, located in El Zonte—also known as Bitcoin Beach—has begun selling Bitaxe’s miniature mining devices. These mini ASICs aim to promote decentralized Bitcoin mining within the Central American country. This initiative was announced by the store, which specializes in providing tools for bitcoin self-custody.

Today we are excited to add the BitAxe Supra decentralized mining product to our stores.

Why even run a miner if it’s unlikely you’ll ever get paid? Watch now from the @btcfarmersmrkt: pic.twitter.com/lWUerfvwr5

— The Bitcoin Hardware Store (@tbhs_sv) June 2, 2024

Ronnie Avendaño, co-founder and CEO of Bitcoin Hardware Store, emphasized that these small devices, which can be held in one hand, are now available for purchase. The Bitaxe Supra, as the device is named, operates with a hash rate of 750 GH/s and consumes only 18 watts of power. This means that operating these devices in El Salvador would cost about 5 dollars per month, making it feasible for small-scale Bitcoin mining.

Despite their low hashing power compared to the latest large ASICs, which boast rates exceeding 200 TH/s, Avendaño described these miners as a “lottery ticket that gets drawn every 10 minutes” and as tools for decentralizing the Bitcoin network.

“Which becomes a problem,” he believes. This, because currently Bitcoin mining reached industrial levels. He means that mining from home is no longer profitable in the face of large operations such as Riot Blockchain, Marathon Digital and other Bitcoin mining giants.

He noted that mining from home is no longer profitable compared to large-scale operations like those conducted by firms such as Riot Blockchain and Marathon Digital, which contribute to the centralization of mining activities.

The miniature size of Bitaxe’s miners excludes them from joining major mining pools such as Luxor, Foundry USA, and F2Pool. Their insufficient hash rate makes it challenging for them to mine a transaction block. However, this limitation does not deter community interest. From Bitcoin Hardware Store, it’s reported that many enthusiasts wish to own one or two of these miners to engage in decentralized mining at home.

These mini ASICs are also valued as educational tools

They allow users to learn about Bitcoin mining using devices that are more economical and accessible than the larger, recently released ASICs. Bitaxe aims to distribute 1 million of these miniature mining devices, each priced under USD 250, through its store. This strategy will help Bitcoin Hardware Store to potentially distribute millions of units, supporting Bitcoin education and participation on a wider scale.