比特幣大遷移：中國如何踢出該產業，美國如何成為新的加密之都

雷爾

China banned crypto mining and transactions in May 2021 due to concerns about cryptocurrency use in illegal activities, such as money laundering, according to Zongyuan Zoe Liu, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. This ban had a significant impact on the cryptocurrency industry.

美國外交關係委員會高級研究員 Zongyuan Zoe Liu 表示，由於擔心加密貨幣用於洗錢等非法活動，中國於 2021 年 5 月禁止了加密貨幣挖礦和交易。該禁令對加密貨幣產業產生了重大影響。

Following the ban, mining companies quickly left China, with many relocating to Kazakhstan, which had an abundance of coal power. Minting bitcoins requires solving increasingly complex math problems, and the hundreds of specialized machines used in the process, along with the equipment to cool them, consume a vast amount of electricity. According to the Cambridge Bitcoin Electricity Consumption Index, Kazakhstan's contribution to the global "hashrate" — the computational power required to make new bitcoins — increased from 7% in May 2021 to almost 20% three months later.

禁令實施後，礦業公司迅速撤離中國，其中許多搬遷到擁有豐富煤電的哈薩克。鑄造比特幣需要解決日益複雜的數學問題，而在此過程中使用的數百台專用機器以及冷卻它們的設備消耗了大量的電力。根據劍橋比特幣電力消耗指數，哈薩克對全球「算力」（製造新比特幣所需的運算能力）的貢獻從 2021 年 5 月的 7% 增加到三個月後的近 20%。

This influx of crypto miners resulted in them using up 7% of the country's generated energy, leading to a surge in fuel prices and widespread power outages. Following a massive public outcry at the end of 2021, mining companies in Kazakhstan were essentially cut off from the grid.

加密貨幣礦工的湧入導致他們消耗了該國 7% 的發電量，導致燃料價格飆升和大面積停電。 2021 年底，民眾強烈抗議後，哈薩克的礦業公司基本上被斷電。

After being pushed out of Kazakhstan, these companies arrived in the United States. Currently, America accounts for about 40% of the global hashrate — up from 17% during China's 2021 peak — making it the largest hub for bitcoin mining. The country's 52 cryptocurrency-mining operations use about 2% of America's energy — enough to power the entire state of Utah or West Virginia. While it hasn't caused the same level of crisis as in Kazakhstan, the massive energy consumption has still prompted pushback from locals and raised concerns about Chinese-owned operations moving in. This is just the latest example of China pushing out burdensome industries, which then end up on America's doorstep.

這些公司被趕出哈薩克後，又來到了美國。目前，美國約佔全球算力的 40%（高於中國 2021 年高峰時的 17%），使其成為最大的比特幣挖礦中心。該國 52 個加密貨幣挖礦業務消耗了美國約 2% 的能源——足以為整個猶他州或西維吉尼亞州供電。雖然它沒有造成像哈薩克斯坦那樣程度的危機，但大量的能源消耗仍然引起了當地人的抵制，並引發了人們對中資企業進入的擔憂。到達美國家門口。

Bit Mining, one of the major Chinese-owned crypto-mining companies, relocated to the United States. In May 2021, the company had the largest data center and crypto-mining facility in the world, located in China. By September, following a brief stint in Kazakhstan, it was setting up shop in Akron, Ohio, in a building once owned by the tire giant Goodyear.

Bit Mining 是中國主要的加密貨幣挖礦公司之一，遷往美國。 2021 年 5 月，該公司在中國擁有世界上最大的資料中心和加密貨幣挖礦設施。到了九月，在哈薩克短暫停留後，該公司在俄亥俄州阿克倫市的一棟曾經屬於輪胎巨頭固特異的建築內開設了商店。

Other bitcoin-mining companies settled in rural regions in the US with affordable electricity, favorable regulations, and ample warehouse space. However, these noisy facilities, which typically employ only a few dozen people, haven't formed the rosiest relations with neighbors.

其他比特幣挖礦公司落腳美國農村地區，那裡有負擔得起的電力、有利的法規和充足的倉庫空間。然而，這些吵雜的設施通常只僱用數十名員工，並沒有與鄰居建立最良好的關係。

"The amount of energy these companies use is staggering," said Jeremy Fisher, a senior strategy advisor with the Sierra Club's Environmental Law Program. For instance, a Riot Platforms mining facility in Rockdale, Texas, uses 450 megawatts of energy — the equivalent of what's needed to power roughly 300,000 homes.

「這些公司使用的能源量是驚人的，」塞拉俱樂部環境法計畫的高級策略顧問傑里米·費雪說。例如，位於德克薩斯州羅克代爾的 Riot Platforms 採礦設施使用 450 兆瓦的能源，相當於為約 30 萬戶家庭供電所需的能源。

Electricity is also becoming an increasingly pressing issue in the climate crisis. Power outages nationwide have increased 64% since the early 2000s, and weather-related outages have increased 78%.

電力也成為氣候危機中日益迫切的問題。自 2000 年代初以來，全國停電次數增加了 64%，其中與天氣相關的停電次數增加了 78%。

"At a moment when we need to be rapidly increasing the amount of renewable generation and shutting down fossil-fuel plants, proof-of-work cryptocurrency is pushing the wrong direction," said Fisher.

費雪說：“當我們需要迅速增加可再生能源發電量並關閉化石燃料工廠時，工作量證明加密貨幣正在推動錯誤的方向。”

Resistance to bitcoin mining has manifested largely at the local level. Frustrated locals in Murphy, North Carolina, Massillon, Ohio, and other places are signing petitions, forming coalitions, and creating YouTube channels to fight back against the mines in their towns.

對比特幣開採的抵制主要體現在地方層級。北卡羅來納州墨菲、俄亥俄州馬西隆和其他地方的沮喪當地人正在簽署請願書、組建聯盟並創建 YouTube 頻道，以反擊城鎮中的地雷。

Gladys Anderson, who lives next to a mining facility in Bono, Arkansas, spoke about her experience at a town-council meeting for a proposed facility in Vilonia, Arkansas, last summer. "It's caused a lot of headaches," she said. Her son, who has autism, struggles to deal with the loud noise. "My son is currently in the backyard having a meltdown," she said.

格拉迪斯·安德森(Gladys Anderson) 住在阿肯色州波諾市的一家採礦設施旁邊，去年夏天，她在阿肯色州維洛尼亞市舉行的關於擬建設施的鎮議會會議上談到了她的經歷。 「這引起了很多頭痛，」她說。她患有自閉症的兒子很難應付噪音。 「我兒子現在在後院，精神崩潰了，」她說。

The Bit Mining facility in Akron has also faced pushback. "They're going to be using a lot of water, and electricity rates tend to go up for that sort of thing," said Kelley Sayre, a resident there. A New York Times analysis found that the energy used by the Akron facility translated to 705,000 tons of CO2 emissions a year (roughly equal to the annual amount of emissions from two gas-fired power plants). Bit Mining didn't respond to a request for comment.

阿克倫的比特採礦設施也面臨阻力。 「他們將使用大量的水，而且電費往往會因此而上漲，」那裡的居民凱利·塞爾說。 《紐約時報》分析發現，阿克倫工廠使用的能源每年會排放 705,000 噸二氧化碳（大致相當於兩個燃氣發電廠的年排放量）。 Bit Mining 沒有回應置評請求。

The mayor's office of Akron isn't excited about the mine, either. "The bitcoin mining industry as a whole runs counter to this administration's values and policy goals," Stephanie Marsh, the director of communications for the city of Akron, said in a statement. "Digital mining operations consume an exorbitant amount of electricity, employ very few individuals, and take up a considerable amount of space." Marsh told me the city would prefer the space to be occupied by a company that could provide hundreds of jobs and contribute to the local

阿克倫市長辦公室對這個礦坑也沒興趣。阿克倫市通訊總監斯蒂芬妮·馬什（Stephanie Marsh）在一份聲明中表示：“整個比特幣挖礦行業與本屆政府的價值觀和政策目標背道而馳。” “數位採礦作業消耗大量電力，僱用很少的人員，並佔用大量空間。”馬許告訴我，該市更希望該空間被一家能夠提供數百個就業機會並為當地做出貢獻的公司所佔據。