Ocean Mining recently reported an astonishing event in the Bitcoin mining world: a small, $500 ASIC miner — the Nerdminer QAxe++ running at approximately 5 terahash per second (TH/s) — successfully found a block through its solo mining pool, a feat that statistically would require an average wait of more than 3,500 years.
Miracle on Block 913272
The lucky miner, known as @snednode on X, used a Nerdminer QAxe++ drawing 72-76 watts, connected to a Start9labs full Bitcoin node and the DATUM (Decentralized Alternative Templates for Universal Mining) protocol. This setup allowed direct block submission without any intermediary. Ocean Mining confirmed the find: “Block 913272 was found yesterday by a small miner: @snednode revealed that it was him, using a QAxe++, a Start9labs and DATUM on OCEAN. Seeing miners of all sizes have their voices heard by mining their own blocks and seeing decentralization happen in real time is why we do this.”
Astronomical Odds
At the time of the find, the global Bitcoin network hashrate stood at roughly 960 exahash per second (EH/s). A 5 TH/s miner represents just 0.0000000052% of that total. With the current difficulty of 136.04 trillion, finding a block requires approximately 5.84×10²³ hashes. At 5 trillion hashes per second, the miner would need an average of 3,700 years to hit a block. The daily probability is about 1 in 1.35 million, and the yearly probability is 1 in 3,700. Yet against all odds, this baby ASIC found the golden hash, earning 3.134 BTC valued at roughly $347,968 at the time — a massive return on a $500 investment plus minimal electricity costs.
The Role of DATUM and Solo Mining
DATUM enables miners to run their own full nodes and submit blocks directly to the network, bypassing pool operators. Pools like Ocean Mining and Solo CKPool set no minimum hashrate requirement, allowing even the smallest miners to participate. However, at extremely low hashrates (below 100 GH/s), the chance becomes effectively zero. The 5 TH/s threshold, while still extremely difficult, occasionally yields such lottery-style wins, reinforcing the decentralized spirit of Bitcoin.
Historical Precedent
This is not the first time a tiny miner has defied the odds. In July 2024, Solo CKPool developer Dr -ck reported that a 3 TH/s Bitaxe miner found the pool’s 290th solo block. At that time, the average time to find a block was also about 3,500 years. These events highlight that Bitcoin mining retains an element of luck that can reward individual participants, encouraging broader decentralization beyond industrial-scale farms.
As the Bitcoin network’s hashrate continues to climb beyond 960 EH/s, the emergence of such micro-mining successes serves as a powerful reminder: the lottery effect of proof-of-work means that even the smallest player can sometimes hit the jackpot, strengthening the case for permissionless, inclusive mining.