Many people are beginning to wonder what will happen to Bitmain now that it has entered a death spiral that it simply can’t seem to escape. A series of bad moves and decisions have left Bitmain nursing $740 million losses from this year alone and it has even had to shut its offices in Israel. Fortunately, Bitmain is already going down in the history books as a crypto mining pioneer and will be forever remembered in the Deutsches Technikmuseum, Berlin.
Rubbing Shoulders with Computing Legends
Bitmain’s legacy is that of creating hot and noisy boxes that tried their best to solve complex mathematical puzzles in an effort to receive Bitcoin as a reward for all of its hard work. This heritage and legacy has earned Bitmain and its Antminer S5 a spot in The Network section of the museum, next to a piece of the submarine cable used for the telegraph line between Azores and Emden – laid in 1920.
A Fitting Resting Place for a Pioneer
While Bitmain isn’t officially dead, it’s in the doldrums and has been circling the drain for some time now. There are far worse places for Bitmain to now call home, the Deutsches Technikmuseum is packed full of engineering, computing, and automotive legends. The museum is home to some of the work completed by the founding father of computers – Konrad Zeus. Zeus created the first computers back in the 1930s and the first programmable computer during World War II – although this was destroyed in a bombing raid. For Bitmain to be laid to rest next to these legends, it’s a massive honor and is one that Apple and Microsoft have yet to achieve.
Why Exhibit an S5?
Many have been left scratching their heads as to why the museum has decided to exhibit an Antminer S5 rather than the S1. While the museum hasn’t explained why it chose the S5 rather than an S1, the S5 does look a lot nicer than the S1 and it could be for aesthetic reasons that it chose to do this. Whatever the reason behind it, the exhibit looks stunning and is well worth a visit if you’re ever in Berlin.
While the Deutsches Technikmuseum might be a little early in putting Bitmain in this history books, the Bitmain S5 miner is no longer in its prime and has become obsolete. The fast-paced world of ASIC mining chips means that tech like the S5 is no longer good enough to compete with current standards – much like the submarine telegraph cable from 1920 that the S5 resides near. By immortalizing Bitmain in its museum, the Deutsches Technikmuseum has highlighted Bitcoin’s place in the history books for the next generation to learn about.
