Mining hosting, term by term.
Forty words that come up in every hosting conversation, explained in plain language. Where a field note goes deeper, it is linked.
12 terms on hosting and contracts
Hosting
A service that runs your mining hardware in a facility with industrial power, cooling, network and staff, for a rate. You keep the machines and the rewards.
Colocation
Hosting for hardware you own and bring with you. At Northwatt, hosting and colocation mean the same service. More on colocation.
Digital asset mining
The industry term for running the machines that secure proof-of-work networks, Bitcoin above all. More on digital asset mining.
Cloud mining
Renting hashrate from someone else's machines. You never own hardware and never control it. Not what Northwatt offers.
Hosting rate
The price per kilowatt hour for power and the operations around it. Built from energy, delivery charges, taxes and the operator's cost. More on hosting rate.
All-in rate
A hosting rate that bundles energy, delivery, taxes and operations into one figure. Ask what is and is not inside it. More on all-in rate.
Service order
The document that names capacity, container, rate, term and dates for one deployment under the service agreement.
Minimum term
The shortest period a service agreement binds both sides. Check what happens if you want out early. More on minimum term.
Take-or-pay
A commitment to pay for a quantity of power whether or not it is used. Cheaper per unit, riskier when machines are off. More on take-or-pay.
Deposit
Money held by the host as security. Ask who holds it, whether it earns interest and when it comes back. More on deposit.
Hardware lien
A host's right to hold your machines against unpaid invoices. Read the clause before you sign. More on hardware lien.
Service level
What the host commits to, how it is measured and what you get when it is missed. More on service level.
10 terms on power
Energised capacity
Power that is contracted, connected and switched on today. The only capacity that can take hardware now. More on energised capacity.
Announced capacity
Power a site plans to have. Useful for the roadmap, not for a deployment date. More on announced capacity.
Curtailment
Switching the load down or off, called by the grid, the utility or the host. Who calls it and whether those hours are billed belongs in the agreement. More on curtailment.
Demand response
A programme that pays a load for switching off when the grid is tight. The payment has to be weighed against the lost production. More on demand response.
Firm power
Supply the utility commits to deliver. Interruptible power is cheaper because it can be cut. More on firm power.
Behind the meter
Load connected directly to a generator or substation, before the utility's meter. More on behind the meter.
Transmission and distribution
The charges for moving power from the generator to the facility. Set by the grid, passed through in the rate. More on transmission and distribution.
Interconnection
The utility's process and queue for connecting a new load to the grid. Often the longest lead time on a site. More on interconnection.
Power purchase agreement
A contract to buy energy from a generator at agreed terms, usually for years. More on power purchase agreement.
Nameplate draw
The power a machine is rated for on its label. Actual draw depends on firmware, temperature and tuning. More on nameplate draw.
10 terms on hardware
ASIC
Application-specific integrated circuit: a chip, and by extension a machine, built for one job. In mining, built to hash.
Hashrate
How much work a machine or a fleet does per second, measured in terahash per second and up.
Hashprice
Expected revenue per unit of hashrate per day. Moves with the coin price, the difficulty and transaction fees. More on hashprice.
Difficulty
How hard the network makes it to find a block. Adjusts on a schedule as hashrate joins or leaves.
Efficiency
Energy used per unit of work, usually joules per terahash. Lower is better, and it decides which machines survive a bad month.
Air cooled
Fans on the machine, filtered airflow in the container. The standard at every Northwatt facility. More on air cooled.
Hydro cooled
Water plates on the chips and a cooling loop in the container. Denser and quieter than air. More on hydro cooled.
Immersion
Machines submerged in dielectric fluid in a tank. Different hardware, different handling. More on immersion.
Firmware
The software on the machine that controls hashing, fans and power. Changes follow the procedure in the service agreement. More on firmware.
Underclocking
Running a machine below its rated power to gain efficiency at the cost of hashrate. At Northwatt it needs written approval under the service agreement. More on underclocking.
8 terms on operations
Remote hands
Work done on your machines by the host's technicians: reboots, swaps, cabling, diagnostics. Ask what is included and how fast. At Northwatt, response is within four hours of a request. More on remote hands.
Uptime
The share of time a machine or a fleet is running. Only comparable when the reference and the exclusions are defined. More on uptime.
Intake
Receiving, counting, inspecting and recording hardware on arrival, before it is installed. More on intake.
Commissioning
Installing, cabling, configuring and powering on a machine until it hashes and reports.
Runbook
A written procedure for a known situation: a power event, a cooling alarm, a network cut. What on-site teams work to.
Change management
The rule that infrastructure changes carry a risk assessment and a rollback plan before work begins.
Decommissioning
Taking hardware out of service at the end of a term: shutdown, secure data handling, packing and return shipment. More on decommissioning.
NOC
Network operations centre: the desk that watches the fleet and handles customer requests. At Northwatt it is reached through the contact in the service agreement.
Let's talk capacity.
Tell us your hardware and your timeline. We will tell you where it can run.