This might not seem like nothing but a blip on the news radar but if you take a step back and think about it, this shows how Bitcoin is creeping into and becoming an everyday part of our lives across the globe:

ASIC Repair Technician Certification Coming to the US

This may have important implications for the mining industry in the United States. The program was previously only conducted in Shenzhen, China. Trainees had to travel to the country and pay up to $2500 per person for a two week training period. The courses were conducted in Chinese, with translation services included in the fee for those who needed it.

The reward for completing the certification is the ability to order replacement parts from Bitmain. As Kristy-Leigh Minehan, former CTO of Core Scientific, explained, this ability is “highly coveted for mining farms.”

ASIC miners often suffer faults from a single chip that renders the entire device unusable. Replacing the broken part can be done in three hours, she said, while going through the manufacturer warranty process could take up to three months.

China-based miners thus had a natural competitive advantage, which was only magnified by the outside travel restrictions China imposed following the Coronavirus outbreak.

A U.S.-based training facility makes it much easier for local technicians to obtain the valuable certification. As Cointelegraph previously reported, some of Bitmain’s mining devices reported failure rates as high as 30%.

Full article here: https://cointelegraph.com/news/asic-repair-technician-certification-coming-to-the-us