Bitmain releases firmware for ETC mining on the E9 ASIC miner

This version so far only supports pools such as Antpool, Poolin, and F2pool

05.09.2022 - 11:30

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What’s new? On September 2, cryptocurrency mining equipment maker Bitmain added new firmware for the Antminer E9, released in July. This version will allow Ethereum Classic (ETC) mining. The firmware comes ahead of Ethereum’s transition from Proof-of-Work (PoW) consensus algorithm to Proof-of-Stake (PoS), which will change the way coins are earned on the network from mining to staking. The firmware supports only Antpool, Poolin, and F2pool for now, versions for other mining pools are under development and will appear on the network soon.

Bitmain’s website

What is known about E9? The ASIC miner was announced more than a year ago, when Ethereum mining revenues set a record, amounting to $2,4 billion per month.

The miner provides a hashrate of 2400 MH/s, which is equivalent to 25 RTX 3080 graphics cards. The power consumption of the device is 1920 W with a power efficiency of 0,8 J/M.

What is known about the Ethereum upgrade? The consensus algorithm change may also result in a split into two networks, one of which will continue to run on PoW. In August, the developers published a document refuting misconceptions related to the upcoming upgrade.

The developers also updated the roadmap for the upgrade. According to the document, the transition could take place as early as September 10. It will be done in two stages: the first upgrade, called Bellatrix, will be released on September 6 at 11:34:47 UTC, in case of its successful integration, the second upgrade, Paris, will be launched.

On September 3, AntPool, a mining pool associated with Bitmain, stopped supporting ETH. The project team noted that the network’s transition from the PoW to PoS carries the risk of censorship in various countries. For the sake of customers’ asset security, the pool will not support Ethereum on PoS. Earlier, AntPool invested $10 million in the Ethereum Classic ecosystem. Representatives of the service said that they would continue to invest in this area. The first investment will go toward developing and researching applications on the network to improve its performance.

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