Canaan’s new initiative plans to help grow tomatoes with heat from Bitcoin mining

Hardware manufacturer Canaan has initiated a 3 MW proof-of-concept project in Manitoba, Canada, partnering with Bitforest Investment to utilize waste heat from Bitcoin mining for agricultural purposes. The project deploys 360 liquid-cooled Avalon A1566HA-460T servers in containerized modules to provide supplemental heat for a commercial greenhouse focused on tomato production.

Canaan estimates that approximately 90% of the electricity consumed by the servers can be transferred to the heating system via a closed-loop heat-exchange system, preheating water for the greenhouse's electric boilers. This integration avoids the need for conventional industrial cooling towers, potentially lowering capital and operating costs. The initiative also allows Canaan to evaluate key performance indicators like heat recovery efficiency and system stability under real-world conditions.

Canaan Chairman and CEO Nangeng Zhang stated the project is part of a broader effort to enhance energy sustainability by rethinking computing infrastructure. The system is designed to recycle up to one million tonnes of hot water annually, reducing environmental impact compared to traditional fossil-fuel heating. This follows Canaan's previous introduction of dual-purpose mining devices, like the Avalon Mini 3 home heater.

(Source：The Block)