Bitcoin miners find it increasingly hard to make money

It's becoming increasingly tough to earn money from making bitcoins; it's the makers of souped-up computer equipment that are minting it

Bitcoin miner Aaron Jackson-Wilde (left) and Scott Robinson of the Silicon Valley Bitcoin meet-up group consider the future. Photo: Reuters

Tucked away in an airconditioned data centre in Silicon Valley is a hotchpotch of black boxes, circuit boards and cooling fans owned by 27-year-old Aaron Jackson-Wilde, a modern-day prospector looking for bitcoins.

Since discovering the digital currency a few months ago, Jackson-Wilde has paid about US$2,000 for his "rigs", which are powered by specialised computer chips. They are designed to help operate and maintain the bitcoin network - and, in return, generate a small reward in a process known as "bitcoin mining".

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