Glossary
Bitaxe
15/04/2026
Bitaxe is an open-source ASIC miner project focused on making Bitcoin mining accessible to hobbyists and home miners. Unlike commercial ASICs, Bitaxe hardware designs are fully open — the schematics, PCB layouts, and firmware are publicly available on GitHub.
Bitaxe devices are small, quiet, and energy-efficient, making them suitable for desktop or home use. They are not designed for profit-driven industrial mining but for education, decentralization advocacy, and solo mining experiments.
Key features
- Open-source hardware and firmware — community-developed, no proprietary lock-in
- SHA-256 algorithm — mines Bitcoin and other SHA-256 coins
- Low power consumption — typically 15–30W per unit
- Compact form factor — fan-cooled, desktop-sized device
- Solo or pool mining — can connect to any Stratum-compatible pool
Popular models
- Bitaxe Gamma 601 — uses the BM1366 chip from Antminer S19 XP; one of the most popular Bitaxe variants
Bitaxe vs commercial ASICs
| Bitaxe | Commercial ASIC | |
|---|---|---|
| Hashrate | ~1–2 TH/s | 100–335 TH/s |
| Power | ~15–30W | 2,000–5,000W |
| Noise | Quiet | Very loud |
| Purpose | Hobbyist / education | Industrial mining |
| Price | ~$50–150 | $2,000–10,000+ |
