What is Bitcoin mining
Bitcoin mining is the work that adds the next batch of transactions and releases new bitcoin. Specialized computers race to produce a SHA-256 result the rest of the network will accept. The first acceptable result adds the block. The network aims for one block about every ten minutes.
How a computer wins a block
A block starts as an 80-byte header: a version, the hash of the previous block, a summary of the transactions, a time, a target, and a number called the nonce. The machine runs SHA-256 on that header. If the result is not small enough to meet the target, the machine changes the nonce and hashes again. Almost every attempt loses. The first acceptable result is the block the network adds.
That winner is paid new bitcoin, called the subsidy, plus the transaction fees from the batch. The batch is a Bitcoin block. Since the 2024 halving the subsidy is 3.125 BTC per block. Fees sit on top of that and are not cut by the halving. The supply is capped at 21 million bitcoin, so the subsidy keeps shrinking on a fixed schedule. That cut, every 210,000 blocks, is a Bitcoin halving.
Every other computer checks the block. A result that misses the target is rejected, and changing an older block would break every block after it. Mining difficulty moves the target so the ten-minute pace holds when more machines join. One machine alone can wait a very long time between blocks it finds. A mining pool groups the attempts and splits a found block.
Test 14 days of ₿itcoin mining for free
What renting hashrate means
Renting hashrate means you take part without buying the machine. Infinity Hash sells the attempts in TH/s. Hashrate is that unit. Your TH/s is a share of the work in the race. More of it is a larger share of the work, not a promised reward. The machines doing the hashing are SHA-256 ASIC miners such as the Antminer S21 XP Hyd, the Whatsminer M60, and the Antminer S19 Pro. A graphics card is not how this is done now, which is what makes these machines ASIC miners.
Bitcoin mining and electricity is how the watts are paid for, out of the bitcoin mined that day. Bitcoin mining rewards and payouts is the day you look at after that. Hosted hashrate and buying a miner is the difference between renting the capacity and owning the ASIC. If you want to watch a day before you spend anything, start with Free Testing.
Frequently asked questions
It is the race to add the next block of transactions. The winner is paid new bitcoin plus the fees in that block.
The network aims for about ten minutes. A real stretch of blocks can run a little fast or a little slow.
It can run the same math, and the network will not pay it. Bitcoin mining now runs on SHA-256 ASIC miners.
Since the 2024 halving, the new bitcoin in a block is 3.125 BTC, plus whatever fees the transactions in that block carry.
No. You rent a number of TH/s. The ASIC stays in the farm, and a larger share of the work is not a promised reward.
Test 14 days of ₿itcoin mining for free
The latest Bitcoin miners
The Bitmain Antminer S23 XP Hyd is a hydro-cooled Bitcoin miner delivering 600 TH/s at an efficiency of 8.9 W/TH.
The Bitdeer Sealminer A4 Ultra Hydro is a hydro-cooled Bitcoin miner delivering 886 TH/s at an efficiency of 9.45 W/TH.
The Bitmain Antminer S23 Hyd 3U is a hydro-cooled Bitcoin miner delivering 1160 TH/s at an efficiency of 9.5 W/TH.
The Bitmain Antminer S23 Hyd is a hydro-cooled Bitcoin miner delivering 580 TH/s at an efficiency of 9.5 W/TH.
The Bitmain Antminer S23e Hyd 2U is a hydro-cooled Bitcoin miner delivering 865 TH/s at an efficiency of 10 W/TH.
The Bitdeer Sealminer A4 Pro Hydro is a hydro-cooled Bitcoin miner delivering 680 TH/s at an efficiency of 10.9 W/TH.
The Bitdeer Sealminer A4 Pro Air is an air-cooled Bitcoin miner delivering 336 TH/s at an efficiency of 10.9 W/TH.
The Bitmain Antminer S23 is an air-cooled Bitcoin miner delivering 318 TH/s at an efficiency of 11 W/TH.
The Bitmain Antminer S21 XP+ Hyd is a hydro-cooled Bitcoin miner delivering 500 TH/s at an efficiency of 12 W/TH.
The Bitmain Antminer S21j XP Hyd is a hydro-cooled Bitcoin miner delivering 495 TH/s at an efficiency of 12 W/TH.