GMO Internet Group of Japan has provided a fresh update on its cryptocurrency mining strategy, outlining a more detailed roadmap for the development, deployment, and commercialization of its 7nm bitcoin mining chips. The company disclosed the latest plans during its fiscal 2018 first-quarter earnings presentation, indicating that customer reservations for the chips are expected to begin in Q2, while broader launch timing is set for Q4 onward.
The update is significant because GMO has been positioning itself as more than just a crypto exchange operator. In addition to running GMO Coin, the company has been building a broader digital asset business spanning proprietary mining, mining hardware manufacturing, and cloud mining services. The 7nm chip program sits at the center of that strategy, as GMO aims to strengthen its control over the economics and infrastructure of bitcoin mining.
Two Versions of the 7nm Chip in Development
According to the company’s presentation, GMO is developing two versions of its 7nm mining chip: V1 and V2. The V1 version is described as the initial prototype, while V2 is intended to become the mass-production model. That distinction is important because V2 will serve multiple roles inside GMO’s expanding mining business.
The company said the V2 chip is being designed for use in its own mining facilities, for public sale, and for application in its cloud mining offering. In other words, GMO is not treating the chip merely as an internal efficiency upgrade. Instead, it is attempting to build a vertically integrated mining business in which the same chip architecture supports internal operations, commercial hardware sales, and service-based mining products.
GMO added that V2 is currently in the design stage and is expected to enter mass production in the fourth quarter of the year. While the company did not provide technical specifications beyond the 7nm process reference, the roadmap suggests that V2 is the model intended to carry the heavier commercial and operational burden.
Reservations to Open in Q2, Launch Set for Q4 Onward
GMO also revised the timeline for its mining business compared with the plan it had presented in the fourth quarter of the previous year. Under the updated schedule, the company said its initial mining operation would be based on store-bought mining computers. It then expects to begin 7nm V1 operations around June and 7nm V2 operations around October.
When asked about sales timing for the chips, a company spokesperson said GMO could disclose only that it would begin accepting reservations from Q2 onward and that the product launch would occur from Q4 onward. No exact date for commercial sales was provided. That means market participants interested in securing supply may soon be able to place reservations, but final shipment timing remains less precise.
The lack of a hard sale date leaves some execution risk, but the broad schedule still signals that GMO is moving from development into commercialization. For a mining hardware project, that transition matters: opening reservations indicates a readiness to test demand, while a Q4 launch window suggests the company believes it can move beyond prototype-stage messaging.
Cloud Mining Launch Also Planned for June
Alongside its chip and mining machine plans, GMO said its cloud mining operation is scheduled to launch in June. This point reinforces the company’s wider three-part structure for its mining business. Rather than focusing solely on manufacturing or solely on self-mining, GMO is building parallel channels intended to monetize its mining infrastructure in different ways.
That model could allow the company to diversify revenue streams: it can mine bitcoin directly for its own account, sell mining-related hardware into the market, and offer cloud mining access to users who want exposure to mining without operating machines themselves. The 7nm chip rollout, therefore, appears tightly connected to GMO’s efforts to create an end-to-end mining ecosystem rather than a single standalone hardware product.
Mining Business Targets a Major Hashrate Expansion
GMO said its mining business officially launched on December 20 through its European legal entity. The business is organized across three segments: in-house mining, development/manufacturing/sales of mining machines, and cloud mining.
In its update, the company stated that hashrate is increasing as planned and that the amount of mined bitcoin is also rising as expected. GMO further noted that the business has activities in multiple locations across two countries. As of April, the company reported a hashrate of 241 PH/s. It also expressed confidence that it could reach a target of 3,000 PH/s by year-end.
That target represents a substantial scale-up from the April figure. If achieved, it would mark a major expansion of GMO’s mining footprint and would likely depend on successful deployment of its hardware roadmap, including the transition from purchased mining rigs to systems powered by its own 7nm chips.
A Broader Crypto Ambition Beyond Mining
GMO’s mining plans should also be viewed in the context of its broader cryptocurrency ambitions. Beyond mining, the company already operates the crypto exchange GMO Coin and has said it plans to launch a cryptocurrency payment service. Taken together, the exchange, mining, chip development, and payments initiatives suggest that GMO is working to establish a broad presence across the digital asset value chain.
The company has stated that it aims to become “No. 1 in the field of cryptocurrency.” While that goal is ambitious, the 7nm mining chip initiative shows how GMO is trying to compete not just as a service platform, but as a builder of underlying crypto infrastructure. By combining mining operations, hardware manufacturing, and cloud mining under one umbrella, GMO is attempting to create a tightly linked crypto business model.
For the market, the immediate takeaway is clear: GMO’s 7nm chip project is moving closer to commercialization, with Q2 reservations, Q4 launch timing, and a parallel expansion in mining and cloud services. The next milestone to watch will be whether the company can turn prototype and design progress into timely production and meaningful scale.