Mining Round-Up: Sky Mining CEO Flees with $35 Million, Texas Attracts Miners

In recent mining news, it has been alleged that the CEO of Vietnam-based Sky Mining has fled the country with $35 million USD in investor funds in his possession. Meanwhile, in the US, Tmgcore has acquired a 100-megawatt data center in Dallas, Texas, and local media have reported that Bitmain will open a mining facility in a former aluminium smelter in Rockdale, Texas.

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Investors Allege CEO of Vietnamese Mining Company Fled to U.S. With $35 Million

Investors and board members of Ho Chi Minh City-based Sky Mining have expressed fears that the company’s chief executive officer, Le Minh Tam, has fled the country and run away with approximately $35 million USD in investors funds.

According to local media, Mr. Tam has not been contactable since Monday, with the exception of an apology note posted to investors on Wednesday via Facebook. Investors reportedly visited the company’s main office in Phu Nhuan District to discover “the building closed and the company nameplate removed.” Additionally, “all 600 mining machines in the company’s factory in the neighboring Dong Nai Province’s Bien Hoa Town had been taken away by a group of people claiming to be maintenance workers.”

Le Minh Hieu, the deputy chairman of the company, is forming a temporary board to “support investors and calculate the remaining asset[s] of the company,” and has accused the CEO of fleeing to the United States. “[The board] has reported this to the police and showed evidence that we are not guilty,” said Mr. Hieu.

Bitmain to Open Mining Facility in Former Aluminum Smelter

According to local media, Bitmain will be opening a bitcoin mining facility in a former aluminum plant in Rockdale.

Jeff Mosier, an energy and environment reporter for Dallas News, states: “The new Bitcoin mining facility is going to be opening at the former Alcoa Aluminum smelter, and that’s next door to the coal plant that just closed. So now that that’s gone, they have a big industrial facility with lots of electricity infrastructure [capable of] Bitcoin mining, which is essentially a huge server farm.”

No indication has been made as to when the facility will launch operations, however Dallas News reports that a listing on job site Indeed.com indicates that Bitmain Technologies is seeking to employ a project manager for the Rockdale location. According to the publication, the facility is expected to create “300 to 500 jobs.”

Tmgcore Purchases $60 Million Data Center in Dallas

Mining company Tmgcore has acquired a “$60 million USD, 150,000-square-foot data center” in Plano, Dallas, according to local media.

The facility is reportedly capable of a 100-megawatt power load, with the Tmgcore chief executive officer, JD Enright, stating: “One of the things you need is a lot of power, and there’s not a lot of places with 100 MW lying around.”

Mr. Enright claims that the company has “developed a two-phase liquid cooling Immersion technology to dramatically decrease cooling costs by up to 90 percent, allowing us to mine anywhere — even in Plano in the middle of the summer.”

Do you think that Texas will continue to see investment from cryptocurrency mining companies? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!

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