Blockspace: AI News

Why Bitfarms Rebranded to Keel, and What This Means for Its AI Plans w/ Ben Gagnon

⁠Get your tickets to OPNEXT 2026 before prices increase!⁠ Join us on April 16 in NYC for technical discussions, investor talks, and intimate conversation with the brightest minds in Bitcoin. Welcome back to The Blockspace Podcast! For today’s bonus episode, Ben Gagnon, CEO of Keel Infrastructure, joins us to talk about the company's rebranding from Bitfarms and its transition from bitcoin mining to AI and HPC infrastructure. We dive into the complexities of re-domiciling from Canada to the U.S., Keel’s decision to liquidate its bitcoin holdings throughout 2026, and how the company is securing power permits in high-barrier markets like Pennsylvania and Washington. Subscribe to the newsletter! ⁠https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com⁠ Notes: • Rebrand from Bitfarms to Keel Infrastructure. • Re-domiciled from Canada to the United States. • Keel plans to liquidate 2,400 Bitcoin holdings. • Sitting on over $500 million in total liquidity. • Target Bitcoin mining capacity of 4-5 EH/s post-AI transition. • Only the fifth Canadian company in 15 years to re-domicile to US. Timestamps: 00:00 Start 01:24 Bitfarms is now Keel 03:41 Rebranding headaches 08:39 Changes to operations? 10:39 Bitcoin treasury sale 14:17 Panther Creek, Sharon & Moses Lake 21:10 Waste coal power plants 23:07 Deal timeline? 24:28 Any hybrid site plans? 26:25 Regulatory roadblocks? 28:13 Operational transition plan 32:16 Private equity redemption limitations 39:29 Financing for Keel 41:25 Final thoughts 👉⁠CleanSpark⁠ CleanSpark (Nasdaq: CLSK) is a market-leading data center developer with a proven track record of success. We own a portfolio of power, land, and data centers across the United States powered by globally competitive energy prices. Sitting at the intersection of Bitcoin, energy, operational excellence and capital stewardship, we optimize our infrastructure to deliver superior returns to our shareholders. Monetizing low-cost, high reliability energy by producing a global emerging critical resource – compute – positions us to prosper in an ever-changing world. 👉⁠Luxor⁠, Blockspace's preferred mining pool Bitcoin mining revenue changes every day. Difficulty adjusts. Fees move. Prices shift. And that makes it hard to plan. Luxor Pool’s Fixed Payouts let miners lock in revenue at a guaranteed daily rate for up to 18 months. According to Hashrate Index, miners who used rolling fixed payout strategies since the last halving have outperformed FPPS mining by up to 15 percent. Fixed Payouts give you predictable daily revenue, so you can plan, budget, and grow with confidence. With Luxor, uncertainty is optional. Learn more at luxor.tech/mining Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Matt Odell on OpenSats’ 17th Grant, $270M Drift Hack, Charles Schwab Eyes BTC Trading

Get your tickets to OPNEXT 2026 before prices increase! Join us on April 16 in NYC for technical discussions, investor talks, and intimate conversation with the brightest minds in Bitcoin. Welcome back to The Blockspace Podcast! Today, Matt Odell, Co-founder of OpenSats, joins us to talk about their 17th wave of grants and the importance of funding open-source Bitcoin privacy projects, and Spiral bitcoin developer Ben Carman hops on to explain why the longest running Bitdevs meetup is taking a break. We also dive into the $270M Drift Protocol exploit and the sophisticated social engineering tactics used by North Korean hackers. Plus, we cover Charles Schwab launching Bitcoin trading, the first investment bank rating for Keel Infrastructure (formerly Bitfarms), and how a solo miner secured a $250,000 block reward. Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com Notes: - Drift Protocol lost $270M in a painstaking hack. - OpenSats has distributed over $33M in grants from ~10,000 donors - OpenSats grants ~$1M in Bitcoin every month. - Solo miner earned $250,000 for a single block. - Charles Schwab to offer spot BTC and ETH trading in H1 2026 Timestamps: 00:00 Start 02:32 Strait of Hormuz: A Citrini Field Trip 06:33 Drift Protocol (SOL) Hack 15:15 Matt Odell: OpenSats 7th wave of grants 32:45 Ben Carman: Austin BitDevs go bye bye 48:09 Bitfarms becomes Keel 54:38 Charles Schwab opens BTC trading 59:11 Solo miner wins block 👉CleanSpark CleanSpark (Nasdaq: CLSK) is a market-leading data center developer with a proven track record of success. We own a portfolio of power, land, and data centers across the United States powered by globally competitive energy prices. Sitting at the intersection of Bitcoin, energy, operational excellence and capital stewardship, we optimize our infrastructure to deliver superior returns to our shareholders. Monetizing low-cost, high reliability energy by producing a global emerging critical resource – compute – positions us to prosper in an ever-changing world. 👉Luxor, Blockspace's preferred mining pool Bitcoin mining revenue changes every day. Difficulty adjusts. Fees move. Prices shift. And that makes it hard to plan. Luxor Pool’s Fixed Payouts let miners lock in revenue at a guaranteed daily rate for up to 18 months. According to Hashrate Index, miners who used rolling fixed payout strategies since the last halving have outperformed FPPS mining by up to 15 percent. Fixed Payouts give you predictable daily revenue, so you can plan, budget, and grow with confidence. With Luxor, uncertainty is optional. Learn more at luxor.tech/mining Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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MARA’s 15% Layoffs, CleanSpark’s Bitcoin Bond, Google’s Quantum Computing Bitcoin Break

Get your tickets to OPNEXT 2026 before prices increase! Join us on April 16 in NYC for technical discussions, investor talks, and intimate conversation with the brightest minds in Bitcoin. Welcome back to The Blockspace Podcast! Today, Alex Pruden (Project 11) joins us to discuss Google and Oratomic’s research papers on the risks quantum computing poses to Bitcoin. We discuss Mara’s recent 15% workforce reduction amid their strategic pivot toward AI. Jamie Gill (Luxor) hops on to break down Luxor’s new fleet management software, Commander. We also cover CleanSpark’s Moody’s rated bitcoin bond and Riot’s bitcoin selling in Q1. Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com Notes: • Mara laid off 15% of its workforce this week. • Hash price is puttering around $30/PH/day. • CleanSpark issues $100M bitcoin-bonds rated by Moody’s. • 7 of the last 11 difficulty moves were negative. • Quantum papers demonstrate hypothetical attacks on Bitcoin Timestamps: 00:00 Start 02:43 Difficulty Report by Hashrate Index 08:40 MARA layoff 16:41 Jamie Gill, Luxor 32:50 Bitcoin backed bond 48:07 Alex Pruden, Project Eleven 1:18:13 RIOT sells BTC 👉CleanSpark CleanSpark (Nasdaq: CLSK) is a market-leading data center developer with a proven track record of success. We own a portfolio of power, land, and data centers across the United States powered by globally competitive energy prices. Sitting at the intersection of Bitcoin, energy, operational excellence and capital stewardship, we optimize our infrastructure to deliver superior returns to our shareholders. Monetizing low-cost, high reliability energy by producing a global emerging critical resource – compute – positions us to prosper in an ever-changing world. 👉Luxor, Blockspace's preferred mining pool Bitcoin mining revenue changes every day. Difficulty adjusts. Fees move. Prices shift. And that makes it hard to plan. Luxor Pool’s Fixed Payouts let miners lock in revenue at a guaranteed daily rate for up to 18 months. According to Hashrate Index, miners who used rolling fixed payout strategies since the last halving have outperformed FPPS mining by up to 15 percent. Fixed Payouts give you predictable daily revenue, so you can plan, budget, and grow with confidence. With Luxor, uncertainty is optional. Learn more at luxor.tech/mining Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Google's Quantum Bitcoin, Fold credit card, and Bitcoin Volatility Index

Get your tickets to OPNEXT 2026 before prices increase! Join us on April 16 in NYC for technical discussions, investor talks, and intimate conversation with the brightest minds in Bitcoin. Will Reeves (CEO of Fold), Brian Harrington (Bitcoin expert), and Cole Kenneally (CEO of Volmex Finance) join us to talk about the intersection of quantum computing and blockchain security, the launch of the Fold Bitcoin credit card, and the emergence of institutional-grade volatility indices. We also break down Nokia’s massive $166 million loss in the crypto treasury landscape and how the circular economy is taking root in Orange County. Tune in to stay ahead of the next wave of Bitcoin personal finance and market trends. Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com Notes: • Google paper details quantum risk timeline • Bitcoin Volatility Index BVIV. • Will Reeves on Fold’s Bitcoin credit card launch. Timestamps: 00:00 Start 03:00 Oracle layoffs 06:06 Google quantum threat 15:56 Brian Harrington 27:58 Will Reeves 50:25 Nakamoto 1:00:46 Cole Kennelly 1:15:21 Coinshares listing 👉CleanSpark CleanSpark (Nasdaq: CLSK) is a market-leading data center developer with a proven track record of success. We own a portfolio of power, land, and data centers across the United States powered by globally competitive energy prices. Sitting at the intersection of Bitcoin, energy, operational excellence and capital stewardship, we optimize our infrastructure to deliver superior returns to our shareholders. Monetizing low-cost, high reliability energy by producing a global emerging critical resource – compute – positions us to prosper in an ever-changing world. 👉Luxor, Blockspace's preferred mining pool Bitcoin mining revenue changes every day. Difficulty adjusts. Fees move. Prices shift. And that makes it hard to plan. Luxor Pool’s Fixed Payouts let miners lock in revenue at a guaranteed daily rate for up to 18 months. According to Hashrate Index, miners who used rolling fixed payout strategies since the last halving have outperformed FPPS mining by up to 15 percent. Fixed Payouts give you predictable daily revenue, so you can plan, budget, and grow with confidence. With Luxor, uncertainty is optional. Learn more at luxor.tech/mining Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Marty Bent on Crypto Laws, Jameson Lopp on AI Agent Safety, Bitdeer’s 180 MW AI Site

Get your tickets to OPNEXT 2026 before prices increase! Join us on April 16 in NYC for technical discussions, investor talks, and intimate conversation with the brightest minds in Bitcoin. Welcome back to The Blockspace Podcast! Today, Marty Bent joins us to talk about the legislative "horse trading" behind-the-scenes with the PARITY and CLARITY Acts and why Bitcoin de minimis tax exemptions are being sidelined for stablecoins. Plus, Jameson Lopp breaks down the creeping influence of AI agents on our digital security, and Alex Pruden of Project Eleven touches on the looming technical challenge of quantum computing on Bitcoin’s cryptography. We also cover Bitdeer’s 180MW AI expansion in Norway, Elizabeth Warren's latest attacks on Bitmain, and how Cash App is enabling default Bitcoin payments for millions of US merchants. Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com Notes: * Bitdeer targeting Dec 2026 for 180MW Norway AI data center. * 55.62% of Bitcoin holders are currently in profit. * BTC Realized losses are the worst since 2023. * Cash App enables BTC payments for millions. * PARITY Act draft excludes BTC tax exemptions. * Operation Red Sunset: fact or fiction? Timestamps: 00:00 Start 03:10 Square terminals accept Bitcoin by default 07:17 BTC holders in loss 13:43 Marty Bent 31:19 Jameson Lopp 50:18 Alex Pruden 1:05:12 Bitdeer building AI data center Norway 1:10:45 Warren targets Bitmain as security threat 👉CleanSpark CleanSpark (Nasdaq: CLSK) is a market-leading data center developer with a proven track record of success. We own a portfolio of power, land, and data centers across the United States powered by globally competitive energy prices. Sitting at the intersection of Bitcoin, energy, operational excellence and capital stewardship, we optimize our infrastructure to deliver superior returns to our shareholders. Monetizing low-cost, high reliability energy by producing a global emerging critical resource – compute – positions us to prosper in an ever-changing world. 👉Luxor, Blockspace's preferred mining pool Bitcoin mining revenue changes every day. Difficulty adjusts. Fees move. Prices shift. And that makes it hard to plan. Luxor Pool’s Fixed Payouts let miners lock in revenue at a guaranteed daily rate for up to 18 months. According to Hashrate Index, miners who used rolling fixed payout strategies since the last halving have outperformed FPPS mining by up to 15 percent. Fixed Payouts give you predictable daily revenue, so you can plan, budget, and grow with confidence. With Luxor, uncertainty is optional. Learn more at luxor.tech/mining Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Hut 8 AI Update, Crypto-Backed Mortgages, MARA Sells $1.1B BTC

Get your tickets to OPNEXT 2026 before prices increase! Join us on April 16 in NYC for technical discussions, investor talks, and intimate conversation with the brightest minds in Bitcoin. Welcome back to The Blockspace Podcast! Today, Hut 8 CEO Asher Genoot, Luxor Head of Financial Services Matt Williams, and Bitcoin Policy Institute Head of Government Affairs Ken Egan join us to respectively talk about the latest in Hut 8’s AI expansion, the regulatory battle over stablecoin rewards in the CLARITY Act, and Luxor’s new energy and financing offerings for AI operators. Plus, for news, we dive deep into why Marathon Digital is selling BTC to retire debt, how Coinbase and Better Homes and Finance secured a historic mortgage win with Fannie Mae-approved crypto-backed home loans, and why markets are backsliding going into the weekend. Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com Notes: * Next difficulty adjustment expected at +4.5%. * MARA sold 15,133 BTC ($1.1B) to retire $1B in debt. * Fannie Mae rubberstamps crypto-backed mortgages from Coinbase/Better Homes. * CLARITY Act nearing finish line Timestamps: 00:00 Start 01:19 Difficulty Report by Hashrate Index 04:58 CLARITY Act update 31:39 Asher Genoot, HUT8 44:49 Matt Williams, Luxor 1:01:07 MARA selling BTC 1:22:13 Market update = bad :( 👉CleanSpark CleanSpark (Nasdaq: CLSK) is a market-leading data center developer with a proven track record of success. We own a portfolio of power, land, and data centers across the United States powered by globally competitive energy prices. Sitting at the intersection of Bitcoin, energy, operational excellence and capital stewardship, we optimize our infrastructure to deliver superior returns to our shareholders. Monetizing low-cost, high reliability energy by producing a global emerging critical resource – compute – positions us to prosper in an ever-changing world. 👉Luxor, Blockspace's preferred mining pool Bitcoin mining revenue changes every day. Difficulty adjusts. Fees move. Prices shift. And that makes it hard to plan. Luxor Pool’s Fixed Payouts let miners lock in revenue at a guaranteed daily rate for up to 18 months. According to Hashrate Index, miners who used rolling fixed payout strategies since the last halving have outperformed FPPS mining by up to 15 percent. Fixed Payouts give you predictable daily revenue, so you can plan, budget, and grow with confidence. With Luxor, uncertainty is optional. Learn more at luxor.tech/mining Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tether's Big Four Audit, Blue Owl's Private Credit Risk, and a New Bitcoin Client?

Get your tickets to OPNEXT 2026 before prices increase! Join us on April 16 in NYC for technical discussions, investor talks, and intimate conversation with the brightest minds in Bitcoin. Welcome back to The Blockspace Podcast! Today, Jay Patel, Founder of Lygos Finance, joins us to talk about tremors in private credit markets and how they might affect bitcoin-backed credit markets, and Blockspace podcaster Gwart hops on to discuss crypto’s year of soul-searching. We also dive into Tether’s first-ever audit, why the banks beat crypto in the latest draft of the CLARITY Act, and the emergence of a new Bitcoin client. Finally, we break down the incredible story of the unlikely hiding place for an Irish Drug dealer’s bitcoin stash. Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com Notes: • Tether seeks first Big Four audit vs Circle. • Banks beat crypto in CLARITY Act. • Irish authorities seized 500 BTC from dealer. • Private credit faces risks as Blue Owl, others alter redemptions. • New Bitcoin client makes the “conservative case” for BTC Timestamps: 00:00 Start 02:35 Tether audit 16:30 CLARITY Act update 28:44 Gwart 47:07 Jay Patel from Lygos on Private Credit 1:02:18 New Bitcoin software client 1:12:10 Irish weed dealer's BTC gets seized 👉CleanSpark CleanSpark (Nasdaq: CLSK) is a market-leading data center developer with a proven track record of success. We own a portfolio of power, land, and data centers across the United States powered by globally competitive energy prices. Sitting at the intersection of Bitcoin, energy, operational excellence and capital stewardship, we optimize our infrastructure to deliver superior returns to our shareholders. Monetizing low-cost, high reliability energy by producing a global emerging critical resource – compute – positions us to prosper in an ever-changing world. 👉Luxor, Blockspace's preferred mining pool Bitcoin mining revenue changes every day. Difficulty adjusts. Fees move. Prices shift. And that makes it hard to plan. Luxor Pool’s Fixed Payouts let miners lock in revenue at a guaranteed daily rate for up to 18 months. According to Hashrate Index, miners who used rolling fixed payout strategies since the last halving have outperformed FPPS mining by up to 15 percent. Fixed Payouts give you predictable daily revenue, so you can plan, budget, and grow with confidence. With Luxor, uncertainty is optional. Learn more at luxor.tech/mining Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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The Fed vs. Iran vs. BTC, Layoffs Sweep Crypto, Strategy’s $44 Billion Stock Offering

Get your tickets to OPNEXT 2026 before prices increase! Join us on April 16 in NYC for technical discussions, investor talks, and intimate conversation with the brightest minds in Bitcoin. Welcome back to The Blockspace Podcast! Today, we check the market’s pulse as risk-on assets rally following a postponement in US strikes on Iran, and we look into the data that is making the Fed hawkish and what that means for bitcoin. Plus, Ryan Gentry, CEO of Bitcoin Infrastructure Corp, joins us to talk about the evolution of agentic payments with the Lightning Network. We also break the latest sweep of layoffs in the crypto sector; Strategy’s stock offerings for $21 billion in MSTR, $21 billion in STRC, and $2.1 billion in STRKl; and Marathon’s entrance into the AI software landscape. Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com Notes: * Bitcoin popped back above $70,000. * Gold touched $4,100/oz after a 10% weekly drop. * Inflation expectations surged to 5.2%. * 30-year bond yield moved up by 30 basis points since outbreak of Iran war * Strategy files to sell $21B each of MSTR and STRC * Strategy has purchased more BTC in Q1 2026 than any quarter except for Q4 2024 Timestamps: 00:00 Start 01:39 Fed Reserve vs Iran 12:57 Machine to machine payments x402 30:33 Crypto Layoffs 39:02 MSTR is at it again! 47:37 MARA goes AI, kind of? 👉CleanSpark CleanSpark (Nasdaq: CLSK) is a market-leading data center developer with a proven track record of success. We own a portfolio of power, land, and data centers across the United States powered by globally competitive energy prices. Sitting at the intersection of Bitcoin, energy, operational excellence and capital stewardship, we optimize our infrastructure to deliver superior returns to our shareholders. Monetizing low-cost, high reliability energy by producing a global emerging critical resource – compute – positions us to prosper in an ever-changing world. 👉Luxor, Blockspace's preferred mining pool Bitcoin mining revenue changes every day. Difficulty adjusts. Fees move. Prices shift. And that makes it hard to plan. Luxor Pool’s Fixed Payouts let miners lock in revenue at a guaranteed daily rate for up to 18 months. According to Hashrate Index, miners who used rolling fixed payout strategies since the last halving have outperformed FPPS mining by up to 15 percent. Fixed Payouts give you predictable daily revenue, so you can plan, budget, and grow with confidence. With Luxor, uncertainty is optional. Learn more at luxor.tech/mining Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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SBF Goes to Hollywood, SEC Clears Nasdaq for Tokenized Trading, Clarity on CLARITY

Get your tickets to OPNEXT 2026 before prices increase! Join us on April 16 in NYC for technical discussions, investor talks, and intimate conversation with the brightest minds in Bitcoin. Welcome back to The Blockspace Podcast! Today, Aydin Kilic, CEO of HIVE Digital Technologies, joins us to talk about the company’s AI shift, and Bitcoin developer Portland Hodl joins us to discuss how AI is disrupting the software engineering industry. We also break down Nasdaq's SEC approval for tokenized equity trading, and the upcoming Netflix series on the FTX collapse produced by the Obamas, and an update on the CLARITY Act. Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com Notes: * Bitcoin difficulty drops by 7.23%. * Hashrate down over 100 EH/s recently. * HIVE BC site targeting 12.5MW by 2027. * Grace Blackwell GPUs earn $60M/year per 5MW. * Nasdaq cleared to offer tokenized trading * Coinbase opens perpetual futures trading to non-US users * CLARITY Act could advance to Senate floor next month Timestamps: 00:00 Start 02:29 Difficulty Report By Hashrate Index 13:11 Netflix FTX adaptation 19:30 Portland Hodl 32:19 SEC approves Nasdaq for tokenized securities 37:36 Morgan Stanley ETF 40:31 Aydin Kilic - CEO at HIVE 1:06:15 Bitcoin Bugle & Maxi Madness 1:15:12 CLARITY Act update 👉CleanSpark CleanSpark (Nasdaq: CLSK) is a market-leading data center developer with a proven track record of success. We own a portfolio of power, land, and data centers across the United States powered by globally competitive energy prices. Sitting at the intersection of Bitcoin, energy, operational excellence and capital stewardship, we optimize our infrastructure to deliver superior returns to our shareholders. Monetizing low-cost, high reliability energy by producing a global emerging critical resource – compute – positions us to prosper in an ever-changing world. 👉Luxor, Blockspace's preferred mining pool Bitcoin mining revenue changes every day. Difficulty adjusts. Fees move. Prices shift. And that makes it hard to plan. Luxor Pool’s Fixed Payouts let miners lock in revenue at a guaranteed daily rate for up to 18 months. According to Hashrate Index, miners who used rolling fixed payout strategies since the last halving have outperformed FPPS mining by up to 15 percent. Fixed Payouts give you predictable daily revenue, so you can plan, budget, and grow with confidence. With Luxor, uncertainty is optional. Learn more at luxor.tech/mining Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Kraken IPO CANCELED & Vanity Fair Hates Us

Francis Corvino, of Lygos Finance joins us to talk about the Blockfills bankruptcy filing, their $145M in unsecured claims, and why the 2022 "hangover" is still claiming victims today. We also dive into Kraken’s decision to delay its public offering, the SEC’s long-awaited guidance on token offerings, and the meteoric rise of Circle’s stock following Clarity Act talks. Finally, we warn you about the sophisticated Lazarus Group phishing campaign that hit Bitrefill and targeted seasoned developers. Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com Notes: * Kraken delayed IPO due to market conditions. * Blockfills: $145M in unsecured claims reported. * Lazarus Group hack targeted Bitrefill via Telegram. Timestamps: 00:00 Start 03:33 Kraken IPO delay 12:06 Lygos Finance on Bitfills 26:09 SEC clarity on crypto assets 34:59 Vanity Fair hit piece 47:44 Ledn & the Bitcoin loan market 1:02:42 Cathedra on HPC & mining 👉CleanSpark CleanSpark (Nasdaq: CLSK) is a market-leading data center developer with a proven track record of success. We own a portfolio of power, land, and data centers across the United States powered by globally competitive energy prices. Sitting at the intersection of Bitcoin, energy, operational excellence and capital stewardship, we optimize our infrastructure to deliver superior returns to our shareholders. Monetizing low-cost, high reliability energy by producing a global emerging critical resource – compute – positions us to prosper in an ever-changing world. 👉Luxor, Blockspace's preferred mining pool Bitcoin mining revenue changes every day. Difficulty adjusts. Fees move. Prices shift. And that makes it hard to plan. Luxor Pool’s Fixed Payouts let miners lock in revenue at a guaranteed daily rate for up to 18 months. According to Hashrate Index, miners who used rolling fixed payout strategies since the last halving have outperformed FPPS mining by up to 15 percent. Fixed Payouts give you predictable daily revenue, so you can plan, budget, and grow with confidence. With Luxor, uncertainty is optional. Learn more at luxor.tech/mining Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Coinbase and CLARITY, OP_NET Raises $5M, Blockfills Goes Bankrupt, Drukenmiller Fades BTC

Get your tickets to OPNEXT 2026 before prices increase! Join us on April 16 in NYC for technical discussions, investor talks, and intimate conversation with the brightest minds in Bitcoin. Welcome back to The Blockspace Podcast! Today, we dive into reports that Coinbase is allegedly lobbying against the de minimis tax exemption for BTC purchases in the CLARITY Act and the bitcoin miners caught up in the Blockfills bankruptcy. Plus, for today’s guests, Chad Masters and Danny Plainview, co-founders of OP_NET, join us to discuss their $5M raise and vision for Bitcoin-based smart contracts, and Hashlabs analysts Valentin Rousseau breaks down his latest report that scores which countries are the best for mining bitcoin. Plus, for this week’s cry corner, why Stanley Druckenmiller is fading bitcoin after supporting it as early as 2020. Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com Notes: * Bitcoin price hits $74k * Coinbase allegedly lobbying against BTC tax breaks. * OP_NET announced a $5 million fundraise. * Blockfills undergoes bankruptcy proceedings. Timestamps: 00:00 Start 01:19 Former UBER CEO comes out of stealth 06:17 COINBASE vs de minimus, TFTC??? 15:41 Is OPNET spam? 33:19 Best & Worst Places to Mine BTC 47:48 Blockfills files chapter 11 56:48 Druckenmiller dunks on BTC 👉CleanSpark CleanSpark (Nasdaq: CLSK) is a market-leading data center developer with a proven track record of success. We own a portfolio of power, land, and data centers across the United States powered by globally competitive energy prices. Sitting at the intersection of Bitcoin, energy, operational excellence and capital stewardship, we optimize our infrastructure to deliver superior returns to our shareholders. Monetizing low-cost, high reliability energy by producing a global emerging critical resource – compute – positions us to prosper in an ever-changing world. 👉Luxor, Blockspace's preferred mining pool Bitcoin mining revenue changes every day. Difficulty adjusts. Fees move. Prices shift. And that makes it hard to plan. Luxor Pool’s Fixed Payouts let miners lock in revenue at a guaranteed daily rate for up to 18 months. According to Hashrate Index, miners who used rolling fixed payout strategies since the last halving have outperformed FPPS mining by up to 15 percent. Fixed Payouts give you predictable daily revenue, so you can plan, budget, and grow with confidence. With Luxor, uncertainty is optional. Learn more at luxor.tech/mining Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Arkade Raises $5.1M, CleanSpark's on BTC Price, Luxor's Mining Outlook, and the IRS New Crypto Form

Get your tickets to OPNEXT 2026 before prices increase! Join us on April 16 in NYC for technical discussions, investor talks, and intimate conversation with the brightest minds in Bitcoin. Welcome back to Blockspace! Today, Alex B, Ecosystem Lead at Ark Labs joins us to talk about their massive $5.2M raise led by Tether and the push for programmable finance on Bitcoin. We also sit down with Rory Murray of CleanSpark and Alex Bloom of Two Prime to discuss the "beach ball" state of the market and how institutional lenders are navigating high volatility. Finally, we expose the IRS’s new 1099-DA form "perjury trap" and settle the debate on when the 20 millionth Bitcoin was actually mined. Timestamps: 00:00 Start 01:55 Bitcoin price action 04:29 Hashrate Index update by Luxor 08:58 Ark Labs seed round 30:43 CLSK & Two Prime 46:50 Luxor & ASIC prices 1:00:33 IRS trap 1:07:45 Binance & CZ 1:19:39 Cry Corner: 20M BTC Mined 👉CleanSpark CleanSpark (Nasdaq: CLSK) is a market-leading data center developer with a proven track record of success. We own a portfolio of power, land, and data centers across the United States powered by globally competitive energy prices. Sitting at the intersection of Bitcoin, energy, operational excellence and capital stewardship, we optimize our infrastructure to deliver superior returns to our shareholders. Monetizing low-cost, high reliability energy by producing a global emerging critical resource – compute – positions us to prosper in an ever-changing world. 👉Luxor, Blockspace's preferred mining pool Bitcoin mining revenue changes every day. Difficulty adjusts. Fees move. Prices shift. And that makes it hard to plan. Luxor Pool’s Fixed Payouts let miners lock in revenue at a guaranteed daily rate for up to 18 months. According to Hashrate Index, miners who used rolling fixed payout strategies since the last halving have outperformed FPPS mining by up to 15 percent. Fixed Payouts give you predictable daily revenue, so you can plan, budget, and grow with confidence. With Luxor, uncertainty is optional. Learn more at luxor.tech/mining Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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ENERGY: An Update on TeraWulf’s AI Expansion w/ Nazar Khan

Get your tickets to OPNEXT 2026 before prices increase! Join us on April 16 in NYC for technical discussions, investor talks, and intimate conversation with the brightest minds in Bitcoin. Welcome back to The Blockspace Podcast! Today, Nazar Khan, CTO of TeraWulf, joins us to talk about the company's expansion into AI and HPC. We dive deep into their new sites in Kentucky and Maryland, the strategy behind repurposing brownfield industrial infrastructure, and why battery storage is the key to grid reliability. Nazar explains the transition from bitcoin mining to AI loads and how TeraWulf plans for its bitcoin mining fleet amid the AI expansion. Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com Notes: * Targeting 480MW capacity in Kentucky by H2 2027. * Maryland site to feature 1GW load and generation. * 500MW battery storage planned for Maryland campus. * Targeting energy availability in MD by 2028-2029. Timestamps: 00:00 Start 04:07 Kentucky site 06:33 Maryland site 08:25 Redundant power 10:13 Battery storage 13:40 New generation 14:49 Tenants for sites 17:08 Brownfield sites 19:28 Lake Mariner & Abernathy sites 24:28 Geopolitical concerns 27:49 Managing a power plant 33:55 168 megawatts 40:55 Local pushback on new data centers 48:21 Bitcoin mining future 👉CleanSpark CleanSpark (Nasdaq: CLSK) is a market-leading data center developer with a proven track record of success. We own a portfolio of power, land, and data centers across the United States powered by globally competitive energy prices. Sitting at the intersection of Bitcoin, energy, operational excellence and capital stewardship, we optimize our infrastructure to deliver superior returns to our shareholders. Monetizing low-cost, high reliability energy by producing a global emerging critical resource – compute – positions us to prosper in an ever-changing world. 👉Luxor, Blockspace's preferred mining pool Bitcoin mining revenue changes every day. Difficulty adjusts. Fees move. Prices shift. And that makes it hard to plan. Luxor Pool’s Fixed Payouts let miners lock in revenue at a guaranteed daily rate for up to 18 months. According to Hashrate Index, miners who used rolling fixed payout strategies since the last halving have outperformed FPPS mining by up to 15 percent. Fixed Payouts give you predictable daily revenue, so you can plan, budget, and grow with confidence. With Luxor, uncertainty is optional. Learn more at luxor.tech/mining Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

MINING: The Last Bitcoin Mining Bull Market Ever w/ Liang Wang

Get your tickets to OPNEXT 2026 before prices increase! Join us on April 16 in NYC for technical discussions, investor talks, and intimate conversation with the brightest minds in Bitcoin. Welcome back to The Blockspace Podcast! Today, Liang Wang, VP of Canaan, joins us to talk about how Canaan is approaching the changing tides in bitcoin mining as peers pivot to AI. We dive into their recent acquisition of Texas mining sites from Cipher Mining, their 60.9% year-over-year sales growth for their Avalon ASIC miner series, and the economics of mining in the current market. Liang also shares insights into China's regulatory landscape, the potential of stranded energy in North America, and how AI is impacting ASIC miner market dynamics. Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com Notes: * 60.9% YoY growth in ASIC equipment sales. * Sold 14.6 EH/s of new equipment in Q4. * Acquired 49% equity in three Texas sites. * Texas power rates below $0.03 per kWh. * Zero self-mining exposure in China. * Bitcoin price at $65,000–$70,000 range. Timestamps: 00:00 Start 04:23 Cipher acquisition 08:57 Behind the meter & asset heavy 13:08 Stranded energy & hashrate growth 16:16 ASIC sales are up? 22:46 China update 28:09 New markets by country 33:10 2 nanometer chips? 38:58 Chip making demand for AI & others 46:58 The "AI pivot" impact? 👉CleanSpark CleanSpark (Nasdaq: CLSK) is a market-leading data center developer with a proven track record of success. We own a portfolio of power, land, and data centers across the United States powered by globally competitive energy prices. Sitting at the intersection of Bitcoin, energy, operational excellence and capital stewardship, we optimize our infrastructure to deliver superior returns to our shareholders. Monetizing low-cost, high reliability energy by producing a global emerging critical resource – compute – positions us to prosper in an ever-changing world. 👉Luxor, Blockspace's preferred mining poolBitcoin mining revenue changes every day. Difficulty adjusts. Fees move. Prices shift. And that makes it hard to plan. Luxor Pool’s Fixed Payouts let miners lock in revenue at a guaranteed daily rate for up to 18 months. According to Hashrate Index, miners who used rolling fixed payout strategies since the last halving have outperformed FPPS mining by up to 15 percent. Fixed Payouts give you predictable daily revenue, so you can plan, budget, and grow with confidence. With Luxor, uncertainty is optional. Learn more at luxor.tech/mining Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

NEWS: $46m Heist Perp Gets Nabbed & Kraken Gets Fed Account

Chris Johhansen of Ion Stream and Kaan Farahani of Luxor join us to talk about the insane arrest of John DeGuida for allegedly stealing $46 million from the US Marshals Service. We break down Kraken Financial’s historic Fed Master Account and what a "skinny" seat at the table means for the industry. Plus, we analyze the massive pivot from ASICs to GPUs and review the tumultuous Bitcoin hash rate data from February. Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com Notes: * Zoomer stole $46M from US Marshals Service (his dad!) * Kraken gets first Fed Master Account. * Iren expanding GPU fleet to 150,000. * Difficulty adjustment targeting 7.5% up. Timestamps: 00:00 Start 04:53 Difficulty Report by Hashrate Index 07:49 $46M Stolen from US Marshals Service 15:35 Kraken Financial Granted Federal Reserve Master Account 21:48 AI Compute & Neocloud Dynamics 24:11 AI boom vs crypto boom 27:39 AI inference vs training 30:44 Scoping AI deals 32:41 H100 are still viable? 36:35 Hashrate 37:46 February suprises 44:40 What ASICs are profitable? 45:36 More hashrate declines? 47:36 5 cents per KWH 49:29 Hashrate prediction 52:51 IREN Expands GPU Fleet 1:01:44 Cry Corner: Miners Are Dumping BTC? 👉CleanSpark CleanSpark (Nasdaq: CLSK) is a market-leading data center developer with a proven track record of success. We own a portfolio of power, land, and data centers across the United States powered by globally competitive energy prices. Sitting at the intersection of Bitcoin, energy, operational excellence and capital stewardship, we optimize our infrastructure to deliver superior returns to our shareholders. Monetizing low-cost, high reliability energy by producing a global emerging critical resource – compute – positions us to prosper in an ever-changing world. 👉Luxor, Blockspace's preferred mining pool Bitcoin mining revenue changes every day. Difficulty adjusts. Fees move. Prices shift. And that makes it hard to plan. Luxor Pool’s Fixed Payouts let miners lock in revenue at a guaranteed daily rate for up to 18 months. According to Hashrate Index, miners who used rolling fixed payout strategies since the last halving have outperformed FPPS mining by up to 15 percent. Fixed Payouts give you predictable daily revenue, so you can plan, budget, and grow with confidence. With Luxor, uncertainty is optional. Learn more at luxor.tech/mining Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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CULTURE: How to Protect Yourself from a Crypto Kidnapping

Get your tickets to OPNEXT 2026 before prices increase! Join us on April 16 in NYC for technical discussions, investor talks, and intimate conversation with the brightest minds in Bitcoin. Chris Seedor of Seedor & Bitsurance joins us to talk about the rising threat of physical "wrench attacks" and advanced Bitcoin self-custody. We discuss the 70% spike in violence against BTC owners, using Miniscript for time-locked security, and how AI-driven phishing is bypassing video IDs. Chris explains why simple seed phrases are high-risk and how protocol changes like covenants could revolutionize reactive security for all holders. Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com Notes: * Physical attacks up 70% since 2024 * 74 documented Bitcoin physical attacks * 1 in 10 kidnappings resulted in death * Successful attacks occur 66% of the time * $1.5B Ethereum stolen in Bybit hack Timstamps 00:00 Start 03:26 Chris has a real job? 05:40 Hardware wallet vs steel backup? 08:12 Understanding your risk surface area 11:17 Attacker landscape 15:50 Shift in mindset 17:10 Even smart people get scammed 18:38 AI supercharging scams 20:50 New ways of securing your BTC 23:48 What's happening technically 25:58 Security on other chains 28:42 Softforks 31:53 Tools for the baddies (ordinals / runes) 👉CleanSpark CleanSpark (Nasdaq: CLSK) is a market-leading data center developer with a proven track record of success. We own a portfolio of power, land, and data centers across the United States powered by globally competitive energy prices. Sitting at the intersection of Bitcoin, energy, operational excellence and capital stewardship, we optimize our infrastructure to deliver superior returns to our shareholders. Monetizing low-cost, high reliability energy by producing a global emerging critical resource – compute – positions us to prosper in an ever-changing world. 👉Luxor, Blockspace's preferred mining poolBitcoin mining revenue changes every day. Difficulty adjusts. Fees move. Prices shift. And that makes it hard to plan. Luxor Pool’s Fixed Payouts let miners lock in revenue at a guaranteed daily rate for up to 18 months. According to Hashrate Index, miners who used rolling fixed payout strategies since the last halving have outperformed FPPS mining by up to 15 percent. Fixed Payouts give you predictable daily revenue, so you can plan, budget, and grow with confidence. With Luxor, uncertainty is optional. Learn more at luxor.tech/mining Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

ENERGY: America’s Nuclear Revival is Here w/ Dr. Hash Hashemian

Get your tickets to OPNEXT 2026 before prices increase! Join us on April 16 in NYC for technical discussions, investor talks, and intimate conversation with the brightest minds in Bitcoin. Welcome back to The Blockspace Podcast! Today, Dr. Hashem Hashemian, President of the American Nuclear Society and CEO of AMS, joins us to talk about the massive resurgence of nuclear energy in the United States. We dive into the shift from decommissioning plants to life-extensions of up to 100 years, the economic impact of AI and data centers on power demand, and the $12 billion investment flowing into Tennessee's nuclear hub. Dr. Hashemian explains why nuclear fell out of favor and the challenges the industry faces as it gets back on its feet. Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com Notes: * 94 nuclear plants produce 20% of US power. * License extensions aim for 100-year lifespans. * $12B committed for nuclear fuel refining in Oak Ridge. * $100M Tennessee state funding for nuclear dev. * Global nuclear must triple for climate goals. * $1.7B Oklo recycling plant coming to Tennessee. Timestamps: 00:00 Start 05:51 Tennessee represent 07:56 State of the nuclear industry 10:42 Nuclear faded in USA 17:19 Barriers to Nuclear development 20:12 Reforming the Nuclear Regulatory Commission 27:01 Red tape 29:47 What other policies would be good? 32:41 China copying 34:17 Remaining chokepoints 38:05 States leading the charge 40:46 Are SMRs really a thing? 44:18 Why are SMRs taking so long? 46:21 Fusion? Are we still talking about this? 48:56 Recycling fuel 👉CleanSpark CleanSpark (Nasdaq: CLSK) is a market-leading data center developer with a proven track record of success. We own a portfolio of power, land, and data centers across the United States powered by globally competitive energy prices. Sitting at the intersection of Bitcoin, energy, operational excellence and capital stewardship, we optimize our infrastructure to deliver superior returns to our shareholders. Monetizing low-cost, high reliability energy by producing a global emerging critical resource – compute – positions us to prosper in an ever-changing world. 👉Luxor, Blockspace's preferred mining poolBitcoin mining revenue changes every day. Difficulty adjusts. Fees move. Prices shift. And that makes it hard to plan. Luxor Pool’s Fixed Payouts let miners lock in revenue at a guaranteed daily rate for up to 18 months. According to Hashrate Index, miners who used rolling fixed payout strategies since the last halving have outperformed FPPS mining by up to 15 percent. Fixed Payouts give you predictable daily revenue, so you can plan, budget, and grow with confidence. With Luxor, uncertainty is optional. Learn more at luxor.tech/mining Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

NEWS: Block’s Layoffs, Magic Eden Drops BTC + ETH, MARA Gets Serious on AI, Jane Street’s Lawsuit

Get your tickets to OPNEXT 2026 before prices increase! Join us on April 16 in NYC for technical discussions, investor talks, and intimate conversation with the brightest minds in Bitcoin. Welcome back to The Blockspace Podcast! Today, Charlie and Colin cover the Block’s 40% workforce reduction and why the stock ripped 20% on the news. We also dive into the bitcoin mining conditions that are driving hashprice to all-time lows, Blockspace’s scoop that Magic Eden is sunsetting its Bitcoin Ordinals marketplace, MARA’s latest AI partnership, and the Terra/Luna lawsuit against Jane Street. Plus, Luxor’s Michael San Miguel joins the show to discuss the ins and outs of the GPU market. Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com Notes: * Block laid off 40% of its 10,000 employees. * Block stock surged 20% after the layoff news. * Bitcoin hash price hit an all-time low of $28. * Bitcoin difficulty adjusted upward by 14.73%. * Magic Eden is shutting down BTC and ETH marketplaces, multi-chain wallet * Bitdeer sold all its bitcoin; Cipher plans to sell its bitcoin in 2026 * MARA forms partnership with data center developer Starwood Timestamps: 00:00 Start 03:33 Hashrate update via Luxor’s Hashrate Index 09:29 Block lays off 40% of staff 16:37 Magic Eden shutting down 25:54 GPUs & compute 28:03 GPU vs ASIC complexity 29:04 Upgrading hardware 32:16 Finding a compute buyer 34:00 Powershell vs Neocloud 37:12 Compute still in price discovery mode 42:05 MARA earnings 45:20 CIPHER dumping bags 48:44 Jane Street is the new boogyman 59:34 Everyone's short MSTR 👉CleanSpark CleanSpark (Nasdaq: CLSK) is a market-leading data center developer with a proven track record of success. We own a portfolio of power, land, and data centers across the United States powered by globally competitive energy prices. Sitting at the intersection of Bitcoin, energy, operational excellence and capital stewardship, we optimize our infrastructure to deliver superior returns to our shareholders. Monetizing low-cost, high reliability energy by producing a global emerging critical resource – compute – positions us to prosper in an ever-changing world. 👉Luxor, Blockspace's preferred mining poolBitcoin mining revenue changes every day. Difficulty adjusts. Fees move. Prices shift. And that makes it hard to plan. Luxor Pool’s Fixed Payouts let miners lock in revenue at a guaranteed daily rate for up to 18 months. According to Hashrate Index, miners who used rolling fixed payout strategies since the last halving have outperformed FPPS mining by up to 15 percent. Fixed Payouts give you predictable daily revenue, so you can plan, budget, and grow with confidence. With Luxor, uncertainty is optional. Learn more at luxor.tech/mining Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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MINING: Inside Tether’s 50 EH/s Mining Empire w/ Elektron's Rapha Zagury

Get your tickets to OPNEXT 2026 before prices increase! Join us on April 16 in NYC for technical discussions, investor talks, and intimate conversation with the brightest minds in Bitcoin. Welcome back to The Blockspace Podcast! Today, Rapha Zagury, CEO of Elektron, joins us to talk about the company’s management of Tether's massive 50 EH/s bitcoin mining portfolio. Rapha breaks down Elektron and Tether’s partnership, the incipient market bifurcation between AI/HPC and Bitcoin mining, and why he believes progress is directly correlated with energy use. We dive into the legal origins of Elektron, the company’s global footprint across 32 sites, and the future of mining as Tether and Elektron double down on hashrate while the rest of the industry eyes AI. Subscribe to the newsletter! https://newsletter.blockspacemedia.com Notes: * Tether runs 50 EH/s with Elektron * Greenfield sites trading at $1/MW amid AI boom * Elektron manages ~200,000 ASICs globally * Operations span 32 sites across 5 countries * AI and BTC Mining bifurcation expected in 6 to 12 months Timestamps: 00:00 Start 05:31 BTC market crash 07:59 Who is Rapha? 11:16 What is Elektron? 14:46 Swan & Tether legal struggle 18:00 Asset light build out plan 23:20 Business setup 25:05 Why mine? 33:18 Hashrate geographic distribution 38:54 Bad places to mine BTC? 40:50 AI & HPC 48:56 3.8% staff costs 52:11 Hashrate growth 57:28 There's ALWAYS stranded energy 59:44 Elektron IPO? 👉CleanSpark CleanSpark (Nasdaq: CLSK) is a market-leading data center developer with a proven track record of success. We own a portfolio of power, land, and data centers across the United States powered by globally competitive energy prices. Sitting at the intersection of Bitcoin, energy, operational excellence and capital stewardship, we optimize our infrastructure to deliver superior returns to our shareholders. Monetizing low-cost, high reliability energy by producing a global emerging critical resource – compute – positions us to prosper in an ever-changing world. 👉Luxor, Blockspace's preferred mining pool Bitcoin mining revenue changes every day. Difficulty adjusts. Fees move. Prices shift. And that makes it hard to plan. Luxor Pool’s Fixed Payouts let miners lock in revenue at a guaranteed daily rate for up to 18 months. According to Hashrate Index, miners who used rolling fixed payout strategies since the last halving have outperformed FPPS mining by up to 15 percent. Fixed Payouts give you predictable daily revenue, so you can plan, budget, and grow with confidence. With Luxor, uncertainty is optional. Learn more at luxor.tech/mining Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Welcome to Blockspace, an emerging tech podcast on AI/HPC, Bitcoin and more!

Join hosts Charlie Spears and Colin Harper for weekly insights, stories, and interviews in Bitcoin, AI/HPC and more. With 3 shows per week, we'll fill you up on what's actually happening in the world of emerging tech assets. If you're an investor in public data centers, mining companies, or bitcoin, this is the show for you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices