The governor of the Republic of Buryatia, Russia signed a decree allowing for the construction of a 13.6 acre data center in Southeastern Siberia. The facility will become home to a number of hi-tech activities, including a Bitcoin (BTC) mining operation.
The facility will be built by BitRiver and is expected to create up to 100 local jobs. It will be equipped with the latest generation of ASIC miners and will take about a year to complete. In addition to cryptocurrency mining, the facility will be used for Big Data and the Internet of Things. The required investment is estimated at 691 million rubles or $0.9 million, to be provided by investors from the U.S.A., China, and Japan.
Siberia is one of the more attractive places in the world for Bitcoin mining. Its abundance of natural resources translates into low electricity prices, and its cold climate means that the miners do not have to spend as much energy on cooling. Is proximity to China, the main producer of mining equipment, should also make the outfit’s supply chain more efficient.
It is possible that these advantages will be negated by the legal uncertainty surrounding the regulation of crypto mining in the region, however.