Cipher Digital Inc. (CIFR) FY 2024 MD&A
This page reproduces the company's own Item 7 MD&A text from the linked SEC filing. It is filer text, not grepcent analysis, scoring, or investment advice.
Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.
You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations together with our consolidated financial statements and related notes included elsewhere in this Annual Report. This discussion contains forward‑looking statements based upon current plans, expectations and beliefs involving risks and uncertainties. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward‑looking statements as a result of various factors, including those set forth in Part 1, Item 1A, “Risk Factors” and other factors set forth in other parts of this Annual Report.
Unless the context otherwise requires, references in this Annual Report to the “Company,” “Cipher,” “Cipher Mining,” “we,” “us” or “our” refers to Cipher Mining Inc. and its consolidated subsidiaries, unless otherwise indicated.
Overview
We develop and operate industrial-scale data centers. Our active portfolio and development pipeline is expected to consist of more than 3.0 GW of capacity across 11 sites. We currently operate four bitcoin mining data centers and have a pipeline of seven additional sites in Texas, including one site expected to energize in May 2025. As we develop the sites in our pipeline and source future sites, we evaluate their suitability for either bitcoin mining or HPC. For further details on our data centers, see “Business—Data Center Portfolio.”
Our current intention is to continue expanding our business by developing and operating industrial-scale data centers for bitcoin mining and HPC, expanding capacity at our current data centers, developing our treasury management platform and entering into other strategic arrangements, such as joint ventures, data center hosting and leasing agreements, or software licensing arrangements. We aim to be a market leader in innovation, including in bitcoin mining growth, data center construction and as a hosting partner to HPC companies.
We currently operate 327 MW of facilities across four bitcoin mining data centers in Texas, including one wholly-owned data center and three partially-owned data centers that we acquired through investments in joint ventures. We also have a pipeline of approximately 2.8 GW across seven additional sites in Texas, including one site that we expect to energize in May 2025. We will continue to evaluate other sites, locations and partnerships to expand our data center operations, selecting sites that are suitable for bitcoin mining and HPC data centers.
As of January 31, 2025, we operated an aggregate hashrate capacity of approximately 15.7 exahash per second (“EH/s”), deploying approximately 327 megawatts (“MW”) of electricity, of which we owned an aggregate hashrate capacity of approximately 13.5 EH/s, deploying approximately 266 MW of electricity. As further discussed in “—Our Strategy”, we plan to deploy an additional approximately 150 MW for a total of approximately 477 MW of electrical capacity by the end of 2025, and a corresponding hashrate of at least approximately 25.2 EH/s, of which we expect to own approximately 23.0 EH/s, with the remainder being owned by WindHQ, our JV partner. For further details on our joint ventures, see “Business—Business Agreements—Joint Ventures.”
Recent Developments
On January 30, 2025, we entered into a subscription agreement with Star Beacon LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of SoftBank Group Corp. (“SoftBank”), pursuant to which, among other things, SoftBank agreed to subscribe for and purchase from us, and we agreed to issue and sell to SoftBank, an aggregate of approximately 10,438,413 newly issued shares of our common stock, par value $0.001, at a per share purchase price of $4.79 for an aggregate purchase price of approximately $50 million. As part of this transaction, we agreed prior to February 28, 2025, we would not enter into binding definitive documentation with respect to the sale, transfer, divestiture or encumbrance of the Barber Lake property with any person other than SoftBank and its affiliates.
On January 31, 2025, we executed our option as part of the Amendment Agreement, further described in Note 6. Deposits on equipment, with Bitmain to obtain Antminer S21 XP miners for delivery between May and June 2025. We intend to use these machines at the Black Pearl Facility. As of February 25, 2025, we owe $139 million remaining for these machine purchases.
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Factors Affecting Our Results of Operations
We believe that our performance and future success depend on a number of factors that present significant opportunities for us. These factors also pose risks and challenges, including those discussed in Part I, Item 1A. “Risk Factors” of this Annual Report.
Market Value of Bitcoin.
Our revenues comprise a combination of: (i) block rewards in bitcoin, which are fixed rewards programmed into the bitcoin software that are awarded to a miner or a group of miners for solving the cryptographic problem required to create a new block on a given blockchain and (ii) transaction fees in bitcoin, which are flexible fees earned for verifying transactions in support of the blockchain. For further details, see “Business—Revenue Structure.”
Our revenues are directly impacted by changes in the market value of bitcoin. For example, the market price of one bitcoin in our principal market ranged from approximately $38,501 to $108,389 during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024 and $16,490 to $45,000 during the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023. Furthermore, block rewards are fixed and the Bitcoin network is designed to periodically reduce them through halving. Currently the block rewards are fixed at 3.125 bitcoin per block after the latest halving in April 2024. The halving events happen without any regard to ongoing demand, meaning that if the ongoing demand remains the same after a halving event, whatever demand was being met by new supply will be restricted, which may necessitate an adjustment of the price of bitcoin, though there is no definitive evidence of a causal link between bitcoin’s programmatic decrease in supply and broadening demand.
Bitcoin miners also collect transaction fees for each transaction they confirm. Miners validate unconfirmed transactions by adding the previously unconfirmed transactions to new blocks in the blockchain. Miners are not forced to confirm any specific transaction, but they are economically incentivized to confirm valid transactions as a means of collecting fees. Miners have historically accepted relatively low transaction confirmation fees, but transaction fees vary and it is difficult to predict what transaction fees will be in the future.
As the use of the Bitcoin network expands and the total number of bitcoin available to mine and, thus, the block rewards, declines over time, we expect the mining incentive structure to transition to a higher reliance on transaction confirmation fees, and the transaction fees to become a larger proportion of the revenues to miners.
We have expenses denominated primarily in United States dollars. As such, we are likely to need to sell a portion of the bitcoin we mine to generate dollars to meet expenses. This means the market value of bitcoin will always be a significant factor affecting our results of operations.
Capacity and Efficiency of Mining Machines.
Because the number of bitcoin mined is directly related to the size and efficiency of a bitcoin mining company’s fleet of miners, we believe we need to deploy increasingly sophisticated miners in ever greater quantities to remain competitive as the overall hashrate and difficulty of the Bitcoin network increases.
We believe that our commitment to cost and mining efficiency remains our competitive advantage. The majority of our capital expenditures have been directed towards the latest models of mining machines and technology featuring industry-leading capacity, speed and efficiency. We believe that we operate one of the most efficient mining rig fleets in the global market. We believe that to maintain our competitive advantage over the long term, we must develop and maintain strong relationships across the mining rig supply chain, and strategically invest in state-of-the art miners at attractive prices, while effectively managing our fleet as it ages along the obsolescence curve.
Cost and Source of Power.
Mining bitcoin is a highly power-intensive process, with large amounts of electrical power required to operate the mining rigs. We believe that cost efficiency, and particularly, maintaining cost of power efficiency in bitcoin mining over the long term, are necessary for success. We currently have a portfolio of competitively priced electrical power. However, there is no guarantee that we will be able to negotiate additional power agreements on similar terms, or at all. See “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Our Business, Industry and Operations—We may be affected by price fluctuations in the wholesale and retail power markets.” Our four currently operational data centers are all located in west Texas and the Texas Panhandle, which are areas that we believe have site development potential with access to competitively priced electrical power, whether through grid connection, through solar and wind generation facilities, or otherwise. We believe these strategic investments will generate long-term returns in the form of controlled access to low cost, responsible sources
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of power and differentiate us from our competitors. However, after the initial terms of our current power purchase arrangements end, we may not be able to secure similarly competitively priced access to the electrical power needed for our data centers to mine bitcoin profitably.
Competition.
Our business environment is constantly evolving. In the past few years there have been many new entrants and existing competitors in the bitcoin mining space and a general increase in the competition for industrial-scale bitcoin mining companies with whom we compete over aspects of our industry, such as hashrate and power capacity. Additionally, there have been new entrants in the data center space, such as HPC companies, with whom we may compete over power availability. As the competition for power capacity and data center locations continues to increase, we have been able to capitalize on our commitment to innovation and flexibility by expanding our business to include data center construction for industries beyond bitcoin mining, such as HPC hosting.
The number of bitcoin we are able to mine depends on the size of our share of the total network hashrate. It is very difficult to predict changes in network hashrate. To the extent that we are unable to maintain our market share, or in other words, to the extent that the relative portion our network hashrate represents as compared to the total network hashrate decreases, we may mine fewer bitcoin than anticipated and the results of our operations may suffer. See “Risk Factors — Risks Related to Our Business, Industry and Operations — We operate in a highly competitive industry and we compete against companies that operate in less regulated environments as well as companies with greater financial and other resources, and our business, operating results, and financial condition may be adversely affected if we are unable to respond to our competitors effectively.”
Global Supply Chain Constraints.
The operations of our facilities and our other expansion plans, require specialized equipment, large quantities of construction materials and other component parts that can be difficult to source. We may experience disruptions to our business operations resulting from delays in construction and obtaining necessary equipment in a timely fashion due to global supply chain delays caused by geopolitical unrest, global pandemics, or other factors. Global supply logistics have caused delays across all channels of distribution, and we have also experienced delays in certain of our miner delivery schedules. Additionally, the global supply chain for data center construction equipment, such as transformers and substations, is presently further constrained due to unprecedented demand. Based on our current assessments, we do not expect any material impact on long-term development, operations, or liquidity. However, we continue to monitor developments in the global supply chain and assess their potential impact on our operations and expansion plans.
Regulation.
As a company operating at the intersection of data center, bitcoin mining and HPC hosting services, we are committed to maintaining a proactive and adaptive approach to regulatory compliance. We closely monitor legislative and regulatory developments and engage in dialogue with relevant stakeholders to ensure our business practices align with the evolving legal and regulatory framework. Despite uncertainties posed by a changing regulatory landscape, we remain committed to maintaining innovative and responsible business practices in data center, bitcoin mining and HPC hosting markets. We operate in a complex and rapidly evolving regulatory environment and we are subject to a wide range of laws and regulations enacted by U.S. federal, state and local governments, governmental agencies and regulatory authorities, including the SEC, the CFTC, the FTC and FinCEN, as well as similar entities in other countries. Other regulatory bodies, governmental or semi-governmental, have shown an interest in regulating or investigating companies engaged in the blockchain or cryptocurrency businesses.
As the regulatory and legal environment evolves, we may become subject to new laws and further regulation by the SEC, CFTC, other federal agencies and state and local governments, which may affect our mining and other activities. For example, on January 23, 2025, the Trump Administration signed an executive order titled “Strengthening American Leadership in Digital Financial Technology,” which introduces new dynamics to the regulatory landscape. This order emphasizes the importance of the digital asset industry in U.S. innovation and economic development, outlining policies to support the growth and use of digital assets and blockchain technology. Key policies outlined in the executive order include ensuring access to open public blockchain networks for lawful purposes, promoting the U.S. dollar's sovereignty through lawful dollar-backed stablecoins, and providing regulatory clarity with technology-neutral regulations. The establishment of a new working group within the National Economic Council to propose a federal regulatory framework for digital assets could lead to significant changes in market structure, oversight, consumer protection, and risk management. The evolving regulatory environment may pose challenges to our operations, particularly if new regulations introduce additional compliance costs or restrict certain activities. Additionally, various bills have been proposed in the U.S. Congress related to
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our business, which may be adopted and have an impact on us, and governmental agencies and regulatory authorities, such as the SEC, the CFTC, the FTC and FinCEN, may also enact regulations related to our business, which may have an impact on us.
On a state level, there have been several recent legislative efforts to manage power consumption and support grid reliability, which affects our business, as an operator of industrial-scale data centers. In 2025, the Texas legislature introduced legislation to support ERCOT’s grid reliability by proposing minimum transmission rates on certain large loads and removing phantom loads from its interconnection queue to enhance accuracy of actual future load growth. Such regulation may increase the costs of running our current data centers and sourcing new potential sites in Texas. In 2025, the PUCT also required operators of large virtual currency mining operations connected to register their facilities with the PUCT. For additional discussion regarding our belief about the potential risks existing and future regulation pose to our business, see “Risk Factors—Risks Related to Regulatory Framework.”
Furthermore, because we may strategically expand our operations into new areas, see “Business—Our Strategy— Commitment to growth, innovation and retaining flexibility to consider strategically adjacent opportunities to expand our business model,” we may become subject to additional regulatory requirements.
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Summary of Bitcoin Mining Results
The following table presents information about our Bitcoin mining activities for the year ended December 31, 2024, including bitcoin production and sales of bitcoin (dollar amounts in thousands):
| Quantity | Amounts | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Opening balance | 780 | $ | 32,978 | ||
| Bitcoin received from equity investees | 442 | 18,089 | |||
| Bitcoin received from mining activities | 2,189 | 151,296 | |||
| Bitcoin received from loan | 99 | 9,976 | |||
| Bitcoin loan payments | (20) | (1,977) | |||
| Proceeds from sale of bitcoin | (2,151) | (148,870) | |||
| Realized gains on sale of bitcoin | — | 51,548 | |||
| Unrealized gains on bitcoin | — | 11,313 | |||
| Bitcoin transferred to collateral, net | (345) | (31,702) | |||
| Ending balance | 994 | $ | 92,651 |
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Components of Our Results of Operations
Revenue
Our revenue consists of bitcoin earned through mining activities at the Odessa Facility. We currently participate in third-party mining pools to mine bitcoin. The provision of computing power in accordance with the mining pool operator’s terms of service is the only performance obligation in our contract with the mining pool operator. We are entitled to a fractional share of the fixed cryptocurrency award from the mining pool operator (referred to as a “block reward”) and potentially transaction fees generated from blockchain users and distributed to individual miners by the mining pool operator.
Our fractional share of the block reward is based on the proportion of computing power we contributed to the mining pool operator to the total computing power contributed by all mining pool participants in solving the current algorithm, over the contract term. The block reward is pre-determined and hard coded into the protocol governing the relevant blockchain. Our proportionate share of transaction fees is based on our contributed share of hashrate as a percentage of total network hashrate during the contract term. The transaction fees are the aggregate fees paid by parties whose transactions are included in the block. Bitcoin earned is measured at fair value at contract inception and is recognized in revenue over the contract term as hashrate is provided.
Cost of revenue
Cost of revenue consists of direct production costs of bitcoin mining operations, primarily electricity expenses, as well as other facilities costs associated with our wholly-owned Odessa Facility, but excludes depreciation which is separately stated.
General and administrative expenses
General and administrative expenses represent insurance expense, rent expense, professional fees, including accounting and audit, consulting, legal, public relations and/or investor relations expenses, non-income taxes and licenses, travel, and other expenses. We expect our administrative fees to remain high as we incur the ongoing costs of operating as a public company, including increased director and officer insurance costs, and increased travel and conference participation expenses.
Depreciation
Our depreciation expense consists mainly of depreciation for our miners and mining equipment, as well as depreciation associated with leasehold improvements and other capitalized assets. We capitalize the cost of our mining machines and record depreciation expense on a straight-line basis over the estimated useful life of the machines, which is generally 3 years. Leasehold improvements include capitalized asset retirement costs, which are amortized over the estimated useful life of the related asset. All other leasehold improvements are depreciated over the lesser of the estimated useful life of the asset or the remaining life of the related lease.
Change in fair value of derivative asset and power sales
The change in fair value of derivative asset represents the changes in fair value of the Luminant Power Agreement recorded during the reporting period.
Equity in losses of equity investees
Equity in losses of equity investees includes our share of the losses recorded by Alborz LLC, Bear LLC and Chief Mountain LLC. Additionally, it includes the losses that we recognized upon our contributions of miners to these equity investees, due to the miners having a lower fair value at the time of the contributions than our costs paid to obtain them, which resulted in basis differences between the cost of the investments on our consolidated balance sheet and the amount of our underlying equity in the net assets of the investee attributed to the miners. We are accreting these basis differences and recognizing the accretion as a reduction to our share of the losses recognized by Alborz LLC, Bear LLC and Chief Mountain LLC within the equity in losses of equity investees on the consolidated statement of operations over the depreciation period for the miners.
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Changes in fair value of bitcoin and realized gain/loss on sale of bitcoin
All of our bitcoin is recorded as a current asset on our consolidated balance sheet as we expect to begin regularly exchanging our bitcoin held for fiat currency to fund our operating expenses. We adopted ASU 2023-08 effective January 1, 2023, which requires cryptocurrencies to be measured at fair value each reporting period with changes in fair value being reported in net income.
The fair value of bitcoin has been highly volatile since we began to obtain bitcoin through our operating activities, which has impacted our operating results and we expect volatility in the fair value of bitcoin to continue for the foreseeable future.
Provision for income taxes
Our provision for income taxes primarily consists of U.S. deferred federal taxes. A valuation allowance is recorded against substantially all of our net deferred tax assets, which are composed primarily of federal and state net operating loss carryforwards, stock-based compensation, non-goodwill intangibles, investments in joint ventures and lease liabilities; in addition, we have deferred tax liabilities resulting from our derivative and right-to-use assets. Our ability to offset our deferred tax liabilities with our deferred tax assets is limited due to restrictions on the ability to offset taxable income by more than eighty percent with federal net operating losses. As a result, we have recorded a deferred tax liability for the amount of future taxable income that is not expected to be covered by net operating losses. We evaluate our ability to recognize our deferred tax assets annually by considering all positive and negative evidence available as proscribed by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) under its general principles of Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 740, Income Taxes.
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Results of Operations
The following table presents sets forth our results of operations for the periods indicated (in thousands):
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | |||||||||
| Revenue - bitcoin mining | $ | 151,270 | $ | 126,842 | ||||||
| Costs and operating (expenses) income | ||||||||||
| Cost of revenue | (62,364) | (50,309) | ||||||||
| Compensation and benefits | (60,796) | (57,399) | ||||||||
| General and administrative | (32,655) | (27,796) | ||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | (102,448) | (59,093) | ||||||||
| Change in fair value of derivative asset | (7,921) | 26,836 | ||||||||
| Power sales | 5,405 | 9,941 | ||||||||
| Equity in losses of equity investees | (384) | (2,530) | ||||||||
| Unrealized gains on fair value of bitcoin | 11,313 | 3,299 | ||||||||
| Realized gains on sale of bitcoin | 51,548 | 7,739 | ||||||||
| Other gains | 3,333 | 2,355 | ||||||||
| Total costs and operating expenses | (194,969) | (146,957) | ||||||||
| Operating loss | (43,699) | (20,115) | ||||||||
| Other income (expense) | ||||||||||
| Interest income | 3,384 | 164 | ||||||||
| Interest expense | (1,708) | (1,999) | ||||||||
| Change in fair value of warrant liability | 250 | (243) | ||||||||
| Other expense | (2,544) | (17) | ||||||||
| Total other income (expense) | (618) | (2,095) | ||||||||
| Loss before taxes | (44,317) | (22,210) | ||||||||
| Current income tax expense | (1,255) | (201) | ||||||||
| Deferred income tax benefit (expense) | 937 | (3,366) | ||||||||
| Total income tax benefit (expense) | (318) | (3,567) | ||||||||
| Net loss | $ | (44,635) | $ | (25,777) |
Comparative Results for the Years Ended December 31, 2024 and 2023
Revenue
Revenue for the year ended December 31, 2024 was $151.3 million, compared to $126.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, and was generated entirely from bitcoin mining operations at the Odessa Facility. The increase year over year was primarily driven by an overall increase in bitcoin price in the current year, partially offset by the halving in April 2024 which reduced the bitcoin reward per block from 6.25 to 3.125.
Cost of revenue
Cost of revenue for the year ended December 31, 2024 was $62.4 million, compared with $50.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, and consisted primarily of power costs at the Odessa Facility. The increase in the current year period was primarily due to expenses incurred related to the fleet upgrade at the Odessa Facility, in addition to drawing power from the grid at Odessa when our power provider curtailed us under our Power Purchase Agreement.
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Compensation and benefits
Compensation and benefits for the year ended December 31, 2024 was $60.8 million, an increase of $3.4 million compared to $57.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. The increase was primarily due to an increase in headcount year-over-year.
General and administrative
General and administrative expenses for the year ended December 31, 2024 was $32.7 million, an increase of $4.9 million compared to $27.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. The increase was primarily driven by an increase in legal fees related to strategic initiatives, and professional fees related to SOX 404 compliance as a result of losing Emerging Growth Company status in 2024.
Depreciation and amortization
Depreciation and amortization for the year ended December 31, 2024 was $102.4 million, an increase of $43.3 million compared to Depreciation and amortization of $59.1 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. The increase was primarily due to increased miners, and mining equipment at the Odessa Facility, as well as the change in the estimated useful life of our miners from five years to three years.
Change in fair value of derivative asset
Change in fair value of derivative asset was a $7.9 million decrease for the year ended December 31, 2024 and was driven by the fair value of the Luminant Power Agreement. The estimated fair value of our derivative asset was derived from Level 2 and Level 3 inputs, and, due to a lack of quoted prices for similar type assets, is classified in Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy. Specifically, the discounted cash flow estimation models contain quoted spot and forward prices for electricity, as well as estimated usage rates consistent with the terms of the Luminant Power Agreement, the initial term of which is five years.
Power sales
At our Odessa Facility, we sell excess electricity that was available under the Luminant Power Agreement, but not needed in our mining operations, back to the ERCOT market through Luminant. We sold power for proceeds of $5.4 million and $9.9 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, and 2023, respectively. Power sales fluctuate each period based on power and bitcoin prices which are volatile.
Equity in losses of equity investees
Equity in losses of equity investees totaled $0.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to losses of $2.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. Equity in losses of equity investees consists of our 49% share in the earnings (losses) generated by our three partially-owned mining sites, and the accretion of the basis differences in our investments in the equity investees that resulted from contributions of miners during the year ended December 31, 2022. We are accreting these basis differences over the five-year useful life of the miners.
Unrealized gains on fair value of bitcoin
Unrealized gains on fair value of bitcoin totaled $11.3 million and $3.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, and 2023, respectively. The increase in the current period was primarily due to the increase in our bitcoin treasury compared to the prior period, as well as the increase in bitcoin price in the current year compared to the prior year.
Realized gains on sale of bitcoin
Realized gains on sale of bitcoin totaled $51.5 million and $7.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, and 2023, respectively. The increase in the current period was primarily related to gains recognized on bitcoin sales used to fund construction and site acquisitions in the current period.
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Other expense
Other income totaled $0.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to $2.1 million of Other expense for the year ended December 31, 2023. The decrease was primarily related to interest income on excess cash held in interest bearing accounts in the current year period.
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes
For the year ended December 31, 2024, we recorded a provision for income taxes of $0.3 million as a result of projected income for the current year in the jurisdictions which we operate. For the year ended December 31, 2023, we recorded a benefit for income taxes of $3.6 million.
Liquidity and Capital Resources
We had cash flows from operations of $87.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2024. As of December 31, 2024, we had cash and cash equivalents of $5.6 million, total stockholders’ equity of $682.0 million and an accumulated deficit of $181.4 million. We fund operations primarily through a combination of at-the-market stock issuances and bitcoin sales.
We have established an at-the-market sales agreement with Cantor Fitzgerald & Co., Canaccord Genuity LLC, Needham & Company, LLC, Compass Point Research & Trading, LLC, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, Inc., Virtu Americas LLC, and BTIG, LLC (each, an “Agent” and, together, the “Agents”), pursuant to which we may, from time to time, sell shares of our common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $725.7 million. For the year ended December 31, 2024, we received net proceeds on sales of 52.8 million shares of common stock under the Amended and Restated Sales Agreement of approximately $221.7 million (net of commissions and expenses) at an average net selling price of $4.20 per share. For more information on our at-the-market sales agreement and our at-the-market offerings, see “Note 15, Stockholders’ Equity — At-the-Market Sales Agreement.”
On August 14, 2023, we entered into a master loan agreement with Coinbase Credit, Inc., as lender, and Coinbase, Inc., as lending service provider. Pursuant to the master loan agreement, we currently have a secured line of credit up to $25.0 million (the “Coinbase Overnight Credit Facility”). We will not incur commitment fees for unused portions of the Coinbase Overnight Credit Facility. The borrowing rate on amounts drawn against the Coinbase Overnight Credit Facility is determined on the basis of the Federal Funds Target Rate - Upper Bound, plus 2.5%, calculated daily based on a 365-day year and payable monthly for the duration of the loan. Borrowings under the Coinbase Overnight Credit Facility are available on demand, open term, and collateralized by bitcoin transferred to the lending service provider’s platform. As of December 31, 2024 we had $25.0 million drawn from the Coinbase Overnight Credit Facility, $15 million of which was repaid prior to February 25, 2025. Additionally, we established a term loan facility with Coinbase with a limit of $35.0 million and maximum period of one year (the “Term Loan Facility”). Coinbase has the right to terminate loans under the Term Loan Facility if the price of bitcoin falls below $40,000. As of December 31, 2024, we were in compliance with the covenants under the Coinbase Overnight Credit Facility.
On December 13, 2024, we entered into an agreement with Luxor Technology Corporation (“Luxor”) to borrow 98.57 bitcoin for a 95 day period, which we were able to use as a source of short-term financing.
Management believes that our existing financial resources, combined with projected cash and bitcoin inflows from our data centers, our intent and ability to sell bitcoin received or earned, and our intent and ability to sell common stock through at-the-market offerings will be sufficient to enable us to meet our operating and capital requirements for at least 12 months from the date the consolidated financial statements included in this Annual Report are issued and the foreseeable future.
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Cash Flows
The following table summarizes our sources and uses of cash for the periods indicated (in thousands):
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | |||||
| Net cash used in operating activities | $ | (87,511) | $ | (94,241) | ||
| Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities | (192,129) | 52,755 | ||||
| Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities | 213,512 | 115,664 | ||||
| Net increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents | $ | (66,128) | $ | 74,178 |
Operating Activities
Net cash used in operating activities decreased by $6.7 million to $87.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2024 from $94.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2023. We incurred a net loss of $44.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to a net loss of $25.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, representing an increase of $18.9 million. Cash flows from operating activities was impacted by a $3.5 million increase in non-cash items, primarily driven by a $25.0 million increase in bitcoin received as payment from our mining pool operator, $34.8 million loss on our derivative asset, and a $43.8 million increase in gains on the fair value of bitcoin. Additionally, changes in assets and liabilities resulted in an increase in cash used of $29.1 million between the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023.
Investing Activities
Cash flows used in investing activities increased by $245 million to $192.1 million of net cash used in investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to $52.8 million of net cash provided by investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2023. This change primarily related to $129.1 million of deposits primarily related to new miner purchases, and a $33.6 million increase in contributions to equity investees related to capital expenditures and operations at the Bear and Chief facilities, partially offset by a $119.0 million increase in purchases of property and equipment related to building out the Black Pearl facility, and acquisition of the Barber Lake Facility.
Financing Activities
Cash flows provided by financing activities increased by $97.8 million to $213.5 million net cash provided by financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2024 from $115.7 million net cash used in financing activities for the year ended December 31, 2023. This change was primarily driven by $89.3 million increase in proceeds from the issuance of common stock during the year ended December 31, 2024.
Contractual Obligations and Other Commitments
On December 17, 2021, we entered into a lease agreement for office space, amended in the second quarter of 2024, with a term through May 2029. Monthly rent payments associated with the amended lease are approximately $0.2 million.
We also entered into a series of agreements with affiliates of Luminant ET Services Company LLC ( “Luminant”), including the Lease Agreement dated June 29, 2021, with amendment and restatement on July 9, 2021 (as amended and restated, the “Luminant Lease Agreement”). The Luminant Lease Agreement leases a plot of land to us where our data center, ancillary infrastructure and electrical system (the “Interconnection Electrical Facilities” or “substation”) have been set up for our Odessa Facility. We entered into the Luminant Lease Agreement and the Luminant Purchase and Sale Agreement to build the infrastructure necessary to support our planned operations. Management determined that the Luminant Lease Agreement and the Luminant Purchase and Sale Agreement should be combined for accounting purposes under ASC 842 (collectively, the “Combined Luminant Lease Agreement”) and that amounts exchanged under the combined contract should be allocated to the various components of the overall transaction based on relative fair values.
Our management determined that the Combined Luminant Lease Agreement contains two lease components; and the components should be accounted for together as a single lease component, because the effect of accounting for the land lease separately would be insignificant.
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The Combined Luminant Lease Agreement commenced on November 22, 2022 and has an initial term of five years, with renewal provisions that are aligned with the Luminant Power Agreement. Financing for use of the land and substation is provided by Luminant affiliates. Despite lease commencement in November 2022, we had not been required by Luminant to make any lease payments for the substation prior to July 2023, therefore we accrued amounts due under the Combined Luminant Lease Agreement in accrued expenses and other current liabilities on its consolidated balance sheet.
On August 23, 2023, we entered into a second amendment of the Luminant Lease Agreement, the terms of which included an amended payment schedule, reflecting monthly installments of principal and interest totaling $19.7 million on an undiscounted basis, due over the remaining four-year period starting in July 2023. This amendment did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.
At the end of the lease term for the Interconnection Electrical Facilities, the substation will be sold back to Luminant’s affiliate, Vistra Operations Company, LLC at a price to be determined based upon bids obtained in the secondary market.
Non-GAAP Financial Measures
We are providing supplemental financial measures for Adjusted Earnings (Loss) and Adjusted Earnings (Loss) per share - diluted, in each case that exclude the impact of (i) the non-cash change in fair value of derivative asset, (ii) share-based compensation expense, (iii) depreciation and amortization, (iv) deferred income tax expense, (v) nonrecurring gains and losses and (vi) the non-cash change in fair value of warrant liability. These supplemental financial measures are not measurements of financial performance under accounting principles generally accepted in the United Stated (“GAAP”) and, as a result, these supplemental financial measures may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies. Management uses these non-GAAP financial measures internally to help understand, manage, and evaluate our business performance and to help make operating decisions. We believe the use of these non-GAAP financial measures can also facilitate comparison of our operating results to those of our competitors by excluding certain items that vary in our industry based on company policy.
Non-GAAP financial measures are subject to material limitations as they are not in accordance with, or a substitute for, measurements prepared in accordance with GAAP. For example, we expect that share-based compensation expense, which is excluded from the non-GAAP financial measure, will continue to be a significant recurring expense over the coming years and is an important part of the compensation provided to certain employees, officers and directors. Similarly, we expect that depreciation and amortization will continue to be a recurring expense over the term of the useful life of the related assets. Our non-GAAP financial measures are not meant to be considered in isolation and should be read only in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report, which have been prepared in accordance with GAAP. We rely primarily on such consolidated financial statements to understand, manage and evaluate our business performance and use the non-GAAP financial measures only supplementally.
The following is a reconciliation of our Adjusted Earnings to the most directly comparable GAAP measure for the periods indicated (in thousands):
| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | |||||||||
| Reconciliation of Adjusted Earnings: | ||||||||||
| Net loss | $ | (44,635) | $ | (25,777) | ||||||
| Change in fair value of derivative asset | 7,921 | (26,836) | ||||||||
| Share-based compensation expense | 42,132 | 38,470 | ||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization | 102,448 | 59,093 | ||||||||
| Deferred income tax expense | (937) | 3,366 | ||||||||
| Other gains - nonrecurring | — | (2,355) | ||||||||
| Change in fair value of warrant liability | (250) | 243 | ||||||||
| Adjusted (loss) earnings | $ | 106,679 | $ | 46,204 |
The following is a reconciliation of our Adjusted Earnings (Loss) per share - diluted to the most directly comparable GAAP measure for the periods indicated:
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| Year Ended December 31, | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 2023 | |||||||||
| Reconciliation of Adjusted Earnings per share - diluted: | ||||||||||
| Net loss per share - diluted | $ | (0.14) | $ | (0.10) | ||||||
| Change in fair value of derivative asset per diluted share | 0.02 | (0.11) | ||||||||
| Share-based compensation expense per diluted share | 0.13 | 0.15 | ||||||||
| Depreciation and amortization per diluted share | 0.32 | 0.23 | ||||||||
| Deferred income tax expense per diluted share | — | 0.01 | ||||||||
| Other gains - nonrecurring per diluted share | — | (0.01) | ||||||||
| Change in fair value of warrant liability per diluted share | — | — | ||||||||
| Adjusted (loss) earnings per diluted share | $ | 0.33 | $ | 0.17 |
Critical Accounting Policies, and Use of Estimates
The preparation of financial statements in conformity with GAAP requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities and disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of the consolidated financial statements and the reported amounts of expenses during the reporting period. As of, and for the year ended December 31, 2024, the most significant estimates inherent in the preparation of our consolidated financial statements include, but are not limited to, those related to equity instruments issued in share-based compensation arrangements, valuations of the derivative asset, determination of our asset retirement obligations and the valuation allowance associated with our deferred tax assets. Making estimates requires management to exercise significant judgment. It is at least reasonably possible that the estimate of the effect of a condition, situation or set of circumstances that existed at the date of the financial statements, which management considered in formulating its estimate, could change in the near term due to one or more future confirming events. Accordingly, the actual results could differ significantly from those estimates.
While our significant accounting policies are described in the notes to our consolidated financial statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report, we believe that the following critical accounting policies are most important to understanding and evaluating our reported and future financial results.
Fair value of financial instruments
Our financial assets and liabilities are accounted for in accordance with ASC 820, Fair Value Measurement, which defines fair value as the exchange price that would be received for an asset or paid to transfer a liability (an exit price) in the principal or most advantageous market for the asset or liability in an orderly transaction between market participants on the measurement date. The fair value hierarchy requires an entity to maximize the use of observable inputs when measuring fair value and classifies those inputs into three levels:
Level 1 – Observable inputs, such as quoted prices in active markets for identical assets and liabilities.
Level 2 – Inputs other than Level 1 inputs that are either directly or indirectly observable, such as quoted prices for similar assets or liabilities; quoted prices in markets that are not active; or other inputs that are observable or can be corroborated by observable market data for substantially the full term of the instrument’s anticipated life.
Level 3 – Unobservable inputs in which there is little or no market data, which require the reporting entity to develop its own assumptions.
To the extent the valuation is based on models or inputs that are less observable or unobservable in the market, the determination of fair values requires more judgment. Accordingly, the degree of judgment exercised by management in determining fair value is greatest for instruments categorized as Level 3. A financial instrument’s level within the fair value hierarchy is based on the lowest level of any input that is significant to the fair value measurement.
The carrying values reported in our consolidated balance sheets for cash (excluding cash equivalents which are recorded at fair value on a recurring basis), accounts payable and accrued expenses and other current liabilities are reasonable estimates of their fair values due to the short-term nature of these items.
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Bitcoin
Bitcoin are included in current assets on our consolidated balance sheets. Bitcoin received through our wholly-owned mining activities are accounted for in connection with our revenue recognition policy. Bitcoin awarded to us as distributions-in-kind from equity investees are accounted for in accordance with ASC 845, Nonmonetary Transactions, and recorded at fair value upon receipt.
Bitcoin we hold is accounted for under ASC 350-60, Crypto Assets, issued by the FASB in December 2023. Intangible assets under the scope of this subtopic are measured at fair value on our consolidated balance sheet. We determine the fair value of our bitcoin on a nonrecurring basis in accordance with ASC 820 based on quoted prices on the active trading platform (Level 1 inputs). Prior to the adoption of ASU 2023-08, bitcoin was accounted for as an intangible asset subject to impairment. Upon adoption of ASC 350-60 on January 1, 2023, we recorded an opening adjustment to retained earnings of $0.2 million.
Bitcoin awarded to us through our mining activities are included as an adjustment to reconcile net loss to cash used in operating activities on the consolidated statements of cash flows. Proceeds from sales of bitcoin sold nearly immediately are included within cash flows from operating activities, and proceeds from bitcoin held for over one week are included within cash flow from investing activities on the consolidated statements of cash flows and any realized gains or losses from such sales are included in costs and operating expenses (income) on the consolidated statements of operations. The receipt of bitcoin as distributions-in-kind from equity investees are included within investing activities on the consolidated statements of cash flows. Bitcoin are sold on a first-in-first-out (“FIFO”) basis.
Derivative asset
Management determined that, as of July 1, 2022, the Luminant Power Agreement meets the definition of a derivative under ASC 815, Derivatives and Hedging. Because we have the ability to sell our electricity rather than take physical delivery, physical delivery is not probable through the entirety of the contract and therefore, management does not believe the normal purchases and normal sales scope exception applies to the Luminant Power Agreement. Accordingly, the Luminant Power Agreement (the non-hedging derivative contract) is recorded at an estimated fair value each reporting period with the change in the fair value recorded in change in fair value of derivative asset in the consolidated statements of operations.
The estimated fair value of our derivative asset was derived from Level 2 and Level 3 inputs (i.e., unobservable inputs) due to a lack of quoted prices for similar type assets and as such, is classified in Level 3 of the fair value hierarchy. Specifically, the discounted cash flow estimation models contain quoted spot and forward prices for electricity, as well as estimated usage rates consistent with the terms of the Luminant Power Agreement, the initial term of which is five years. The valuations performed by the third-party valuation firm engaged by management utilized pre-tax discount rates of 5.96% and 6.11% as of December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, respectively, and include observable market inputs, but also include unobservable inputs based on qualitative judgment related to company-specific risk factors. Unrealized gains associated with the derivative asset within the Level 3 category include changes in fair value that were attributable to amendments to the Luminant Power Agreement, changes to the quoted forward electricity rates, as well as unobservable inputs (e.g., changes in estimated usage rates and discount rate assumptions).
Asset retirement obligations
Asset retirement obligations relate to the legal obligations associated with the retirement of long-lived assets that result from the construction, development and/or normal operation of a long-lived asset. We currently have one asset retirement obligation (“ARO”) recorded related to the construction of the data center and installation of the related electrical infrastructure at the Odessa Facility. ASC 410, Asset Retirement and Environmental Obligations, requires an entity to record the fair value of a liability for an ARO in the period in which it is incurred if a reasonable estimate of fair value can be made. Due to the long lead time involved until decommissioning activities occur, we use a present value technique to estimate the liability. A liability for the fair value of the ARO based on the expected present value of estimated future decommissioning costs with a corresponding increase to the carrying value of the related long-lived asset (leasehold improvements) was recorded upon commencement of the lease in November 2022. Additionally, an ARO for our Black Pearl Facility will be analyzed and recorded upon completion of construction. The estimated capitalized asset retirement costs are depreciated using the straight-line method over the estimated remaining useful life of the related long-lived asset, with such depreciation included in depreciation expense in the consolidated statements of operations. The ARO is accreted based on the original discount rate and is recognized as an increase in the carrying amount of the liability and as a charge to accretion expense, which is included in depreciation expense in the consolidated statements of operations. Annually, or
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more frequently if an event occurs that would dictate a change in assumptions or estimates underlying the obligation, management reassesses the ARO to determine whether any revisions to the obligation are necessary. Revisions to the estimated ARO for items such as (i) new liabilities incurred, (ii) liabilities settled during the period and (iii) revisions to estimated future cash flow requirements (if any), will result in adjustments to the related capitalized asset and corresponding liability.
In order to determine the fair value of the ARO, management made certain estimates and assumptions including, among other things, projected cash flows, the borrowing interest rate and an assessment of market conditions that could significantly impact the estimated fair value. These estimates and assumptions are subjective.
Investment in equity investees
We account for investments using the equity method of accounting if the investments provide us with the ability to exercise significant influence, but not control, over our investees. Significant influence is generally deemed to exist if we have an ownership interest in the voting stock of an investee of between 20 percent and 50 percent, or an ownership interest greater than three to five percent in certain partnerships, unincorporated joint ventures and limited liability companies, although other factors are considered in determining whether the equity method of accounting is appropriate. Under this method, an investment in the common stock of an investee (including a joint venture) shall be initially measured and recorded at cost; however, an investor shall initially measure at fair value an investment in the common stock of an investee (including a joint venture) recognized upon the derecognition of a distinct nonfinancial asset at the time that control over the distinct nonfinancial asset is transferred to the equity investee, such as that which occurs upon our transfer of miners and mining equipment to a joint venture.
Our investments are subsequently adjusted to recognize our share of net income or losses as they occur. We also adjust our investments upon receipt of bitcoin from an equity investee, which is accounted for as a distribution-in-kind. Our share of investees’ earnings or losses is recorded, net of taxes, within equity in losses of equity investees on the consolidated statements of operations. Additionally, our interest in the net assets of our equity method investees is reflected on the consolidated balance sheets. If, upon our contribution of nonfinancial assets to a joint venture, there is any difference between the cost of the investment and the amount of the underlying equity in the net assets of the investee, the difference is required to be accounted for as if the investee were a consolidated subsidiary. If the difference is assigned to depreciable or amortizable assets or liabilities, then the difference should be amortized or accreted in connection with the equity earnings based on our proportionate share of the investee’s net income or loss. If we are unable to relate the difference to specific accounts of the investee, the difference should be considered goodwill.
We consider whether the fair value of our equity method investments have declined below their carrying values whenever adverse events or changes in circumstances indicate that recorded values may not be recoverable. If we considered any such decline to be other than temporary (based on various factors, including historical financial results, success of the mining operations and the overall health of the investee’s industry), then we would record a write-down to the estimated fair value.
Impairment of long-lived assets
Management reviews long-lived assets, including leases and investments, for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset, asset group, or investment may not be recoverable.
Recoverability of assets to be held and used are measured by a comparison of the carrying amount of an asset to undiscounted future cash flows expected to be generated by the asset. Because the impairment test for long-lived assets held in use is based on estimated undiscounted cash flows, there may be instances where an asset or asset group is not considered impaired, even when its fair value may be less than its carrying value, because the asset or asset group is recoverable based on the cash flows to be generated over the estimated life of the asset or asset group. If such assets are considered to be impaired, the impairment to be recognized is measured by the amount by which the carrying amount of the assets exceeds the fair value of the assets.
Leases
We account for leases in accordance with ASC 842, Leases. Accordingly, management determines whether an arrangement contains a lease at the inception of the arrangement. If a lease is determined to exist, the term of such lease is assessed based on the date on which the underlying asset is made available for our use by the lessor. Management’s assessment of the lease term reflects the non-cancelable term of the lease, inclusive of any rent-free periods and/or periods
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covered by early-termination options which we are reasonably certain of not exercising, as well as periods covered by renewal options which we are reasonably certain of exercising. We also determine lease classification as either operating or finance at lease commencement, which governs the pattern of expense recognition and the presentation reflected in the consolidated statements of operations over the lease term.
For leases with a term exceeding 12 months, a lease liability is recorded on our consolidated balance sheet at lease commencement reflecting the present value of our fixed minimum payment obligations over the lease term. A corresponding right-of-use (“ROU”) asset equal to the initial lease liability is also recorded, adjusted for any accrued or prepaid rents and/or unamortized initial direct costs incurred in connection with execution of the lease and reduced by any lease incentives received. For purposes of measuring the present value of our fixed payment obligations for a given lease, we use our incremental borrowing rate, determined based on information available at lease commencement, if rates implicit in our leasing arrangements are not readily determinable. Our incremental borrowing rate reflects the rate we would pay to borrow on a secured basis and incorporates the term and economic environment of the associated lease. ROU assets will be reviewed for impairment, consistent with other long-lived assets, whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable.
Lease expense for operating leases is recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term as an operating expense while the expense for finance leases is recognized as depreciation expense and interest expense using the interest method of recognition. For leases with a term of 12 months or less, any fixed payments are recognized on a straight-line basis over the lease term and are not recognized on the Company’s consolidated balance sheet as an accounting policy election. Leases qualifying for the short-term lease exception are insignificant. Variable lease costs are expensed as incurred and are not included in the measurement of ROU assets and lease liabilities.
ASC 842 provides practical expedients for an entity’s ongoing accounting. The Company elected the practical expedient not to separate lease and non-lease components for all leases, which means all consideration that is fixed, or in-substance fixed, relating to the non-lease components will be captured as part of the Company’s lease components for balance sheet purposes.
Revenue recognition
We recognize revenue under ASC 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The core principle of the revenue standard is that a company should recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the company expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. The following five steps are applied to achieve that core principle:
•Step 1: Identify the contract with the customer
•Step 2: Identify the performance obligations in the contract
•Step 3: Determine the transaction price
•Step 4: Allocate the transaction price to the performance obligations in the contract
•Step 5: Recognize revenue when the company satisfies a performance obligation
In order to identify the performance obligations in a contract with a customer, a company must assess the promised goods or services in the contract and identify each promised good or service that is distinct. A performance obligation meets ASC 606’s definition of a “distinct” good or service (or bundle of goods or services) if both of the following criteria are met: The customer can benefit from the good or service either on its own or together with other resources that are readily available to the customer (i.e., the good or service is capable of being distinct), and the entity’s promise to transfer the good or service to the customer is separately identifiable from other promises in the contract (i.e., the promise to transfer the good or service is distinct within the context of the contract).
If a good or service is not distinct, the good or service is combined with other promised goods or services until a bundle of goods or services is identified that is distinct. The transaction price is the amount of consideration to which an entity expects to be entitled in exchange for transferring promised goods or services to a customer. The consideration promised in a contract with a customer may include fixed amounts, variable amounts, or both. When determining the transaction price, an entity must consider the effects of all of the following:
•Variable consideration
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•Constraining estimates of variable consideration
•The existence of a significant financing component in the contract
•Noncash consideration
•Consideration payable to a customer
Variable consideration is included in the transaction price only to the extent that it is probable that a significant reversal in the amount of cumulative revenue recognized will not occur when the uncertainty associated with the variable consideration is subsequently resolved. The transaction price is allocated to each performance obligation on a relative standalone selling price basis. The standalone selling price is the price at which we would sell a promised service separately to a customer. The relative selling price for each performance obligation is estimated using observable objective evidence if it is available. If observable objective evidence is not available, we use our best estimate of the selling price for the promised service. In instances where we do not sell a service separately, establishing standalone selling price requires significant judgment. We estimate the standalone selling price by considering available information, prioritizing observable inputs such as historical sales, internally approved pricing guidelines and objectives, and the underlying cost of delivering the performance obligation. The transaction price allocated to each performance obligation is recognized when that performance obligation is satisfied, at a point in time or over time as appropriate.
Management judgment is required when determining the following: when variable consideration is no longer probable of significant reversal (and hence can be included in revenue); whether certain revenue should be presented gross or net of certain related costs; when a promised service transfers to the customer; and the applicable method of measuring progress for services transferred to the customer over time.
We enter into a bitcoin mining pools by executing a contract, which may be amended from time to time, with a mining pool operator to provide computing power to the mining pool. Providing computing power to a mining pool operator for the purpose of cryptocurrency transaction verification is an output of our ordinary activities. The contract is terminable at any time by either party with no substantive termination penalty. Our enforceable right to compensation begins when, and lasts for as long as, we provide computing power to the mining pool operator; our performance obligation extends over the contract term given our continuous provision of hashrate. This period of time corresponds with the period of service for which the mining pool operator determines compensation due to us. Given cancellation terms of the contract, and our customary business practice, the contract effectively provides us with the option to renew for successive contract terms of 24 hours. The options to renew are not material rights because they are offered at the standalone selling price of computing power. We elected the optional exemption to not disclose the transaction price allocated to remaining performance obligations that are part of a contract that has an original expected duration of one year or less.
The provision of computing power in accordance with the mining pool operator’s terms of service is the only performance obligation in our contract with the mining pool operator, our customer. In exchange for providing computing power pursuant to Foundry’s terms of service, we are entitled to noncash consideration in the form of bitcoin, measured under the Full Pay Per Share (“FPPS”) approach. Under the FPPS approach, we are entitled to a fractional share of the fixed bitcoin award from the mining pool operator (referred to as a “block reward”) and potentially transaction fees generated from (paid by) blockchain users and distributed (paid out) to individual miners by the mining pool operator. Our fractional share of the block reward is based on the proportion of computing power we contributed to the mining pool operator to the total computing power contributed by all mining pool participants in solving the current algorithm, over the contract term. We are entitled to our relative share of consideration even if a block is not successfully placed. In other words, we receive consideration once after the end of each 24-hour contract period, regardless of whether the pool successfully places a block. Our proportionate share of transaction fees is based on our contributed share of hashrate as a percentage of total network hashrate during the contract term.
Noncash consideration is measured at fair value at contract inception. Fair value of the bitcoin consideration is determined using the quoted price on our principal market for bitcoin at the beginning of the contract period at the single bitcoin level (one bitcoin). This amount is recognized in revenue over the contract term as hashrate is provided. Changes in the fair value of the noncash consideration due to form of the consideration (changes in the market price of bitcoin) are not included in the transaction price and hence are not included in revenue. Changes in fair value of the noncash consideration post-contract inception that are due to reasons other than form of consideration (other than changes in the market value of bitcoin) are measured based on the guidance on variable consideration, including the constraint on estimates of variable consideration.
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Because the consideration to which we expect to be entitled for providing computing power is entirely variable, as well as being noncash consideration, we assess the estimated amount of the variable noncash consideration at contract inception and subsequently, to determine when and to what extent it is probable that a significant reversal in the amount of cumulative revenue recognized will not occur once the uncertainty associated with the variable consideration is subsequently resolved (the “constraint”). Only when significant revenue reversal is concluded probable of not occurring can estimated variable consideration be included in revenue. Based on evaluation of likelihood and magnitude of a reversal in applying the constraint, the estimated variable noncash consideration is constrained from inclusion in revenue until the end of the contract term, when the underlying uncertainties have been resolved and number of bitcoin to which we are entitled becomes known.
There is no significant financing component in these transactions.
Our ability to satisfy the performance obligation under our contract with a mining pool operator to provide computing power may be contracted to various third parties and there is a risk that if these parties are unable to perform or curtail their operations, our revenue and operating results may be affected. Please see “Business— Business Agreements—Luminant Power Agreement” for additional information about our power arrangements.
Short-term borrowings
Short-term borrowings includes debt with maturity dates less than one year. We elected the fair value option for debt denominated in bitcoin. The change in fair value for bitcoin denominated debt is recorded in Other income (expense).
Share-based compensation
We account for all share-based payments to employees, consultants and directors, which may include grants of stock options, stock appreciation rights, restricted stock awards, and restricted stock units (“RSUs”) to be recognized in the consolidated financial statements, based on their respective grant date fair values. As of December 31, 2023, we have awarded only RSUs with service-based vesting conditions (“Service- Based RSUs”) and performance-based RSUs with market-based vesting conditions (“Performance-Based RSUs”). Compensation expense for all awards is amortized based upon a graded vesting method over the estimated requisite service period. All share-based compensation expenses are recorded in general and administrative expense in the consolidated statements of operations. Forfeitures are recorded as they occur.
The fair value of Service-Based RSUs is the closing market price of our common stock on the date of the grant. We employ a Monte Carlo simulation technique to calculate the fair value of the Performance-Based RSUs on the date granted based on the average of the future simulated outcomes. The Performance-Based RSUs contain different market-based vesting conditions that are based upon the achievement of certain market capitalization milestones. Under the Monte Carlo simulation model, a number of variables and assumptions are used including, but not limited to, the underlying price of our common stock, the expected stock price volatility over the term of the award, a correlation coefficient, and the risk-free rate. The Performance-Based RSUs awarded do not have an explicit requisite service period, therefore compensation expense is recorded over a derived service period based upon the estimated median time it will take to achieve the market capitalization milestone using a Monte Carlo simulation.
Weighted average assumptions used in the November 17, 2021 Monte Carlo valuation model for Performance-Based RSUs awarded on that date were: expected volatility of 96.1% and a risk-free rate of 1.60% based upon a remaining term of 10 years. These assumptions were used to estimate share-based compensation expense related to our Performance-Based RSUs, which was recognized in our consolidated financial statements years ended December 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, and which will continue to impact our consolidated financial results over the remaining weighted average derived service period of the Performance-Based RSUs, which, as of December 31, 2024 is expected to occur over the next 0.5 years.
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