Key Points
- Norway introduces new legislation requiring all data centers, including Bitcoin miners, to officially register.
- The move could increase scrutiny on Bitcoin miners and impact their profitability.
Norway has enacted new laws concerning data centers, which could lead to increased oversight for Bitcoin (BTC) miners.
New Legislation for Data Centers
The new regulation requires all data centers in Norway to register officially, providing information about the owners, leaders, and the digital services provided. This makes Norway the first European country to implement such a framework.
The government aims to give politicians a clearer picture of data centers in their municipalities, thus enabling them to make more informed decisions about their operations, according to Terje Aasland, Norway’s energy minister.
Increased Scrutiny for Bitcoin Miners
This decision could result in further scrutiny for Bitcoin miners in Norway, particularly with the upcoming Bitcoin halving, which will reduce block issuance rewards by half and potentially affect the profitability of Bitcoin miners.
The crypto mining industry in Norway has been largely unregulated, said Aasland. He linked crypto mining with significant greenhouse gas emissions and stated that it represents a type of business that Norway does not want.
Aasland further added that they are not interested in businesses that aim to extract cheap energy from the country.
In related news, Samsung has secured a $6.4B grant to expand chip manufacturing in Texas.
