Ethiopia's $250 Million Tech Expansion In Bitcoin And AI

In early 2024, Ethiopia was planning a $250 million bitcoin mining and AI data centre led by the Russian mining company BitCluster. The proposed 120-megawatt, 30,000-square-metre facility in Addis Ababa, next to the Kilinto high-voltage substation, was designed to draw mainly on hydroelectric power from the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam.

According to the article, the facility would support more than 34,000 Antminer S21 machines, adding about 6.8 EH/s, or roughly 1.2% of the bitcoin network’s hash rate at the time. The plan formed part of Project Mano, an initiative to use Ethiopia’s renewable energy for bitcoin mining and AI, and the proposal suggested that mining could add $2 billion to $4 billion a year to the country’s GDP. The article presents the project as part of a wider move by miners towards locations with cheap renewable energy and welcoming regulation.