How Does the Obsolescence Cycle of ASICs Affect the Market for Second-Hand Mining Hardware?

ASICs have a rapid obsolescence cycle, typically becoming economically unviable every few years due to the release of newer, more efficient models. This creates a volatile secondary market where older, less efficient units are sold, often to miners in regions with extremely low electricity costs.

The price of second-hand hardware is highly dependent on the current cryptocurrency price and network difficulty.

What Are the Environmental Implications of the Security Models of Proof of Work and Proof of Stake?
How Does the ‘Stock-to-Flow’ Model of Bitcoin Relate to the Consistent Supply of New ASICs?
What Is the Difference between ASICs and GPUs in Mining?
How Does the Secondary Market for ASICs Contribute to the Decentralization or Centralization Debate?
How Does the Energy Consumption of PoA Compare to Pure PoW?
What Is the Main Factor Determining the Residual Value of a Two-Year-Old ASIC Miner?
How Does a Mining Firm’s Capital Expenditure (CapEx) for New ASICs Factor into Post-Halving Strategy?
What Is the Relationship between the ‘Power Efficiency’ of an ASIC and Its Longevity?

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