Microsoft Exits Nscale's Loughton AI Site Over a Grid Delay
Microsoft ended its deal for Nscale's Loughton AI data center after UK Power Networks pushed the grid connection into the early to mid 2030s.
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I write about crypto litigation from the plant floor. I have spent five years running ASIC hosting sites and more than ten years before that working in traditional data centers. These posts cover two things: public lawsuits in the mining world, and how mining sites and their equipment work. They are written for attorneys, equipment owners, hosts, and anyone following the industry.
The Case Files posts break down real disputes, such as Celsius v. Core Scientific, Rhodium v. Riot’s Whinstone, and Compass Mining v. Dynamics, and explain the operational issues each one raised. The Running a Site posts explain how hosting sites work: airflow, power, firmware, records, curtailment, and the contract terms that come up around them.
Case Files
Public lawsuits from the physical side of crypto mining, explained from the operations side.
Case Files
Bitcoin Mining Power Contract Disputes: The Public Record
Hut 8 v. Validus, Tether and UTE, Block Mining v. Hosting Source and more: what court filings and reporting show about bitcoin mining power disputes.
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Arkansas Crypto Mining Ownership Law Goes Before the Eighth Circuit
The Eighth Circuit heard Arkansas's appeal over Act 174, its foreign ownership limit on crypto mining. No ruling yet. What was argued and why miners watch.
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Celsius v. Core Scientific: The $45M Power Bill Fight
Celsius and Core Scientific disputed power cost pass through charges and settled for $45 million. A summary of the public record and the issues it raises.
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Compass Mining v. Dynamics: An Equipment Access Dispute
Compass Mining obtained a $1.47 million judgment against Dynamics Mining after a hosting dispute. A summary of the public record and the issues it raises.
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Riot v. Rhodium: The Rockdale Power Cutoff and $185M Deal
Whinstone cut power to Rhodium's miners at Rockdale in 2023, and the dispute ended in a $185 million deal. A summary of the record and the issues raised.
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Block Mining v. Hosting Source: The Bitcoin Halving Case
A federal court granted Block Mining summary judgment in a hosting dispute tied to the 2024 bitcoin halving. A summary of the ruling and the issues raised.
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Compute North Bankruptcy: What Happens to Hosting Deposits
Compute North's Chapter 11 listed hosting deposits among unsecured claims, and Celsius disputed deposits with Mawson. A summary of the public record.
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Coinmint v. Katena: The $150M ASIC Order That Never Shipped
Coinmint paid $23 million in deposits on a $150 million ASIC order, got no miners, and lost the arbitration. A summary of the case and the issues raised.
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Bitmain Lawsuits Against US Hosting Providers, Explained
Bitmain alleged a US host diverted 99 bitcoin and damaged Antminers with unauthorized firmware. A summary of the filings and the issues they raise.
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Granbury Bitcoin Mine Noise Lawsuits: The Public Record
Granbury, Texas residents sued Marathon over bitcoin mine noise, and Tennessee and Arkansas saw similar fights. A summary of the filings and measurements.
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Niagara Falls vs. Bitcoin Miners: Zoning, Fines, Shutdowns
Niagara Falls fined US Bitcoin Corp $10,000 a day and shut down Blockfusion under a zoning ordinance. A summary of the record and the issues it raises.
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Antminer Customs Detentions: Who Pays When Miners Are Held
US Customs held about 10,000 Bitmain Antminers from late 2024, with fees over $200,000 on one shipment. A summary of the detentions and the issues raised.
Read the post →Running a Site, Explained
How mining sites and their equipment work, in plain English.
Operations
Microsoft Exits Nscale's Loughton AI Site Over a Grid Delay
Microsoft ended its deal for Nscale's Loughton AI data center after UK Power Networks pushed the grid connection into the early to mid 2030s.
Read the post →Operations
Binance Pool Shuts Down November 10: What It Means for Hosted Miners
Binance Pool closes November 10, 2026 and its records close November 24. What was announced and what the shutdown means for hosted miners.
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Hot Aisle Cold Aisle Containment for Bitcoin Mining Sites
How hot aisle and cold aisle separation works at bitcoin mining sites: recirculation, containment, exhaust sizing, and intake temperature monitoring.
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Antminer Error Codes Explained: Temp, Fan, Chips, Hashrate
Antminer errors explained by an operator: temperature faults, fan lost, missing chips, power faults, and zero hashrate, plus common logging practices.
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Braiins OS and VNish: Antminer Firmware Pros and Cons
Third party Antminer firmware like Braiins OS+ and VNish can boost efficiency 5 to 15 percent but void the warranty. An operator weighs it.
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Mining Electrical Basics: How Power Problems Affect ASICs
How electrical issues can affect ASIC miners, explained by an operator: connections, voltage sag, breaker sizing, commissioning, and metering.
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ASIC Dust, Humidity and Corrosion: How Miners Fail Slowly
Dust and condensation can wear down ASIC fleets over months. An operator explains filtration, humidity, cleaning, and how corrosion shows up in the logs.
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What Records a Mining Site Keeps and What Each Shows
A plain English guide to the records bitcoin mining sites commonly keep, from pool data and power metering to maintenance logs, and what each one shows.
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Mining Hosting Agreements: Terms That Recur in Disputes
Uptime, curtailment, power pass through, deposits, and exit terms: how each appears in public hosting disputes and how each side typically reads it.
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Bitcoin Mining Curtailment Explained: Revenue and Disputes
Curtailment lets bitcoin miners power down and get paid to release power to the grid. How it works and the questions it raises in hosting.
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Data Centers vs. Bitcoin Mining Sites: How They Differ
A side by side look at traditional data centers and bitcoin mining sites: power density, uptime economics, redundancy, cooling, and staffing.
Read the post →Find a Post by Issue
Browse the posts by topic. Each one explains how the issue works in practice and links to related posts and practice areas.
Pool shutdowns and hosted fleetsBinance Pool closes November 10. What was announced and what it means for hosted miners.Equipment access disputesPublic cases where hosts and customers disagreed over access to machines.How power affects ASICsElectrical basics at mining sites and how power events can affect hardware.Curtailment and downtimeHow curtailment programs work and how downtime gets recorded.ASIC purchase and deliveryPublic cases about prepayments, delivery, and customs detentions.Mining site recordsThe kinds of records mining sites keep, and what each one shows.
Practice areas: crypto hosting expert witness · ASIC hosting expert witness · bitcoin mining expert witness · crypto arbitration expert · crypto expert testimony
About the Author
Aviran Vargas runs ASIC hosting operations and serves as an expert witness in crypto mining litigation and AAA arbitration. He has more than ten years in traditional data centers and five years running bitcoin mining sites. His posts explain how mining operations and public mining cases work, in plain English.
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