
Show Notes
Cheap power means nothing if the government turns against you. Giannis Andreou, CEO of Bitmern Mining, started hosting Bitcoin miners in the UAE on agricultural power below 6¢/kWh, was forced out when the government banned that power, moved to Ethiopia, and is now watching the same story repeat as the Ethiopian government takes over mining and large operators pack up and leave.
Giannis breaks down what went wrong in both countries, why it took 45 days to get his miners out of the UAE, how Ethiopia's uptime fell to 70% before things got worse, and why exporting miners from Ethiopia comes with a 35% tax. His conclusion: own the land and the infrastructure, or don't build on it at all.
We also cover his pivot to buying two farms in Texas (5.5 MW and 8 MW), why AI data centers pay 17 to 25¢/kWh while he found power at 3.9¢, why he stopped retail hosting, a 20 MW joint venture opportunity in Brazil, and how he borrowed against mined Bitcoin to pay for power at $25K and held it to $107K.
Nothing discussed is financial advice. Do your own diligence before making mining or hosting decisions.
Guest: Giannis Andreou, Founder & CEO of Bitmern Mining Bitmern Mining: https://www.bitmernmining.com Bitmern on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@bitmernmining Giannis on X: https://x.com/gandreou007 Giannis on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gianisandreou Giannis on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/giannisandreou/
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro 0:46 From crypto YouTuber to Bitcoin miner 2:23 Central banks and the case for mining 4:21 Greece, Cyprus and the banking crisis 6:39 Why the UAE in 2023 7:35 Agricultural power below 6¢/kWh 8:43 Renting farms vs building your own 9:29 How to choose a hosting partner 11:07 Leaving the UAE: 45 days to move miners 12:30 UAE loopholes and $600K per MW capex 13:38 Ethiopia: from great to complete disaster 15:02 The lesson: own the land and the farm 15:45 Sponsor: Altair Technology 16:16 Why 30 minutes from the airport is a red flag 17:40 The pivot: buying 5.5 MW and 8 MW in Texas 18:37 Bitcoin mining vs AI: 3.9¢ vs 25¢/kWh 21:12 Why he stopped retail hosting 22:56 Finland, Norway and the hidden costs abroad 23:44 Ethiopia's 35% export tax on miners 24:44 Manufacturer JVs and 20 MW in Brazil 25:51 Is Bitcoin mining becoming institutional only? 27:31 Why hashrate didn't drop at $60K 28:36 Will Bitcoin average above $120K? 30:31 Borrowing against BTC to pay for power 32:51 Communicating downtime to customers 34:18 Bribes, quotas and the 20% energy rule 35:24 Wrap-up
Sponsored by:
Altair Technology. ASIC hardware, replacement parts and mining infrastructure Code: HASHRATEUP https://altairtech.io/aff/125/
HashrateUp Hardware Deals: https://t.me/hashrateup Free 5-Day Bitcoin Mining Course: https://hashrateup.com/newsletter-sign-up/
#BitcoinMining #Ethiopia #UAE #BitmernMining #TexasMining #MiningHosting #HashrateUp
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