Bitmain expands hardware repair training course to miners in North America

Bitmain is expanding its maintenance training course to North America to enable customers there to get certified to repair their mining equipment — something that up to this point has required a trip to China.

According to a Friday announcement, Bitmain has partnered with Core Scientific – a U.S.-based technology firm specializing in blockchain hosting, artificial intelligence, and cryptocurrency mining – to offer the training course in North America, beginning in the fall of this year. The companies did not say where the course would be available.

The mining giant established the Ant Training Academy curriculum in 2017 to teach customers how to install, operate, and maintain their mining machines. However, the course has only been available in China, leaving those outside the country with little tools or knowledge to deal with maintenance issues themselves. 

Increasing the accessibility of Bitmain’s training course may be related to recent reports that some of the company's equipment has shown a high failure rate. According to Chinese news media Odaily, a number of Bitmain customers have complained that around 30% of the Antiminer 17 Series miners they purchased stopped operating after just a couple of months. 

Bitmain previously told The Block that the company is "paying close attention to the issues of some products from the 17 Series [and] has begun to negotiate solutions with customers who have encountered issues with the product.”