Key Takeaways
- Fortitude signed for up to $100M of Bitmain zcash miners, with shipments targeted for Q2 2027.
- The deal signals a major non-bitcoin mining bet and could expand the Zcash network’s proof-of-work infrastructure.
- Fortitude’s next step is turning the preliminary Bitmain deal into a funded 2027 ZEC mining expansion.
Fortitude Secures Priority Access to Bitmain’s 2027 Zcash Miners
Fortitude Mining is preparing to make a much bigger wager on zcash (ZEC).
The Digital Currency Group-backed miner has entered a letter of intent with Bitmain for priority access to its next-generation zcash mining equipment, with an indicative purchase commitment of up to $100 million.
Final pricing and specifications are still pending, meaning the commitment is non-binding until the companies sign a definitive purchase agreement. Shipments are expected to begin in the second quarter of 2027.
Fortitude Wants to Scale Zcash Mining Aggressively
Fortitude already operates roughly 4.7 GSol/s of Equihash hashrate and has more than 60 megawatts of contracted power capacity across seven sites in South Dakota, Nebraska, Texas, and New York.
“Fortitude’s vision is to be the largest vertically-integrated zcash mining platform,” CEO Jaime Leverton said. She added that early access to Bitmain’s upcoming hardware could help the company expand with more efficient equipment as it becomes available.
A Bitmain executive called the agreement an important milestone for the zcash mining ecosystem, citing Fortitude’s power, infrastructure, and operating footprint.
For the crypto mining sector, the scale is notable. Most large public miners have concentrated on bitcoin, making a potential $100 million hardware commitment centered on zcash an unusually focused bet on a smaller proof-of-work network.
DCG Raises Credit Facility to $70 Million
Fortitude is also expanding its financing capacity to support the potential purchase.
DCG increased its credit commitment to Fortitude from $50 million to $70 million, giving the miner roughly $42.7 million of remaining borrowing capacity before an expected near-term draw.
The Bitmain agreement requires a refundable $20 million deposit. Fortitude plans to borrow that amount from DCG, which it expects to receive in ZEC before selling the tokens to fund the payment.
Fortitude recently borrowed another 5,790 ZEC, valued at about $8.4 million, and liquidated the position for approximately $8.3 million. After the planned $20 million draw, total borrowings under the facility would reach about $47.3 million.
Public Markets Are Part of the Expansion Plan
The mining buildout comes as Fortitude moves toward a public listing.
The company is pursuing a previously announced business combination with Heartsciences, which trades on Nasdaq under the ticker HSCS.
If completed, the transaction would give Fortitude access to public capital markets as it expands its zcash operations and broader mining infrastructure.
The strategy is becoming clear: Fortitude is combining hardware access, power capacity, DCG financing, and an eventual public-market vehicle around a concentrated zcash mining thesis.
For a crypto mining industry dominated by bitcoin, that makes this one of the more unusual infrastructure bets to watch heading into 2027.
