Jack Dorsey wants to make Bitcoin mining as reusable as SpaceX rockets

Jack Dorsey wants to make Bitcoin mining as reusable as SpaceX rockets originally appeared on TheStreet.

Jack Dorsey is trying to do for Bitcoin mining what Elon Musk did for rockets.

His company Block has launched Proto Rig and Proto Fleet, a hardware and software package designed to make mining machines reusable, upgradable and far more efficient than anything on the market today.

Before SpaceX changed the game, rockets were disposable. Each launch was a one-way trip, with hardware burning up in the atmosphere or falling into the ocean. Musk’s team spent years working toward a different model.

In December 2015, a Falcon 9 rocket successfully landed its first stage back on Earth after delivering satellites to orbit. The breakthrough meant the same rocket hardware could be launched again and again, dramatically cutting costs.

Proto Rig applies that same principle to Bitcoin mining. Most miners today use shoebox-style rigs such as the Antminer S21 or WhatsMiner M60 that last about three to five years before becoming obsolete.

Upgrading usually means replacing the entire machine, which can cost thousands of dollars per unit and generate large amounts of e-waste.

Proto Rig instead uses a modular design. The hashrate-producing boards can be swapped out while the rest of the machine keeps running.

Block says it is as simple as loading a dishwasher. This keeps racks online, avoids shipping heavy equipment, and extends the lifespan of a mining unit to about ten years. The company claims operators could save up to 20 percent per upgrade cycle.

Bitcoin mining is getting harder

Bitcoin mining works like a giant global lottery where miners compete to solve cryptographic puzzles. The more computing power, or hashrate, a miner has, the greater their chances of winning the block reward. In April 2024, the fourth Bitcoin halving cut rewards from 6.25 BTC to 3.125 BTC.

That slashed revenue for miners at a time when the network’s mining difficulty reached record highs above 83 trillion, according to Blockchain.com data.

Related: What is Crypto? Cryptocurrency explained

As profits tighten, efficiency is everything.

A typical Antminer S21 produces about 200 terahashes per second at an efficiency of 17.5 joules per terahash. Proto Rig aims to improve space and power efficiency by fitting three miners’ worth of boards into the footprint of two, producing 1.5 times more power per rack foot than top-tier shoebox machines. It also works with both modern and legacy electrical systems, maximizing available capacity.

The software factor

Hardware is only part of the problem.

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Large mining operations often run thousands of machines spread across multiple sites.

Managing them requires juggling different software tools for diagnostics, power scaling and maintenance. Proto Fleet is Block’s attempt to streamline that. It is a free, open-source platform that consolidates these functions into a single dashboard. It can run on-premises, in the cloud or in a hybrid setup, aiming to cut downtime and reduce troubleshooting time.

Why this could be a game changer

Post-halving, the mining business is a race for efficiency.

Miners who can squeeze the most hashrate out of the least amount of electricity and capital will be the ones who survive. SpaceX proved that reusability can change an industry. Rockets like the Falcon 9 booster have now flown more than 20 times, slashing the cost per launch and making commercial spaceflight viable at scale.

If Proto Rig and Proto Fleet deliver on their promises, Bitcoin mining could see a similar shift. Instead of a constant cycle of buying and scrapping hardware, miners could invest in long-lived infrastructure that is easy to upgrade and maintain. The result could be a more decentralized network, lower entry costs for new players and less electronic waste.

Jack Dorsey wants to make Bitcoin mining as reusable as SpaceX rockets first appeared on TheStreet on Aug 15, 2025

This story was originally reported by TheStreet on Aug 15, 2025, where it first appeared.

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