According to CryptoComLearn, the Bitcoin mining landscape has shifted dramatically over the past year. Foundry USA, a mining pool owned and operated by Digital Currency Group's Foundry subsidiary based in Rochester, New York, reached 84.34 EH/s on November 6, 2022, a 357.37% increase from 18.44 EH/s a year earlier, making it the largest Bitcoin mining pool globally.
From Fifth to First
On November 6, 2021, Foundry USA was the fifth largest pool, commanding about 11.51% of network hashrate (18.44 EH/s). At that time, top pools included F2pool and Antpool. In a three-day sample, Foundry found 51 out of 443 blocks. One year later, in the same window, Foundry discovered 130 out of 415 blocks, representing 31.33% of the total. This explosive growth outpaced all competitors.
Annual Data Comparison
From October 15, 2021 to October 15, 2022, 52,258 blocks were mined globally, with F2pool finding 8,187 and Foundry only 1,978 (3.79%). However, in the 12 months ending November 6, 2022, 53,495 blocks were mined, and Foundry captured 11,109 blocks, or 20.77% of the total. Antpool, F2pool, Binance Pool, and ViaBTC followed.
All-Time Rankings
As of November 6, 2022, a total of 762,026 BTC blocks had been mined. Unknown stealth miners led with 226,055 blocks. Among 98 known pools, F2pool remains the all-time leader with 74,545 blocks, followed by Antpool, Btc.com, Braiins Pool (formerly Slush pool), and the now-defunct Btc Guild. Foundry, despite its recent surge, has mined only 13,462 blocks (1.77%) historically.
Background of Foundry USA
Foundry was founded by Digital Currency Group in 2019 and launched its mining arm on August 27, 2020. Early data from January 26, 2021 shows it had just 2.74 EH/s (1.85% share). In less than two years, Foundry achieved remarkable growth through institutional services and partnerships with North American mining firms, becoming a major force in Bitcoin mining.
This hashrate leap highlights the rise of North American mining pools and the evolving global Bitcoin mining landscape. Whether Foundry can maintain its lead remains to be seen.