What's going on with Bitcoin in Wyoming?

The national security concerns about the Wyoming site, previously unreported, reflect a broader unease about a recent surge in Chinese Bitcoin mines across the country. Aside from intelligence-gathering worries, the mines, which are large warehouses or containers packed with specialized computers, put immense pressure on power grids.

Could China 'pursue full-spectrum intelligence collection operations'?

The location could allow the Chinese to “pursue full-spectrum intelligence collection operations,” the Microsoft team wrote in an August 2022 report to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, a federal body that monitors threats posed by overseas investors.

Where are cryptocurrencies mined?

The computers typically run around the clock while “mining” for the digital coins, the most popular among the various cryptocurrencies. The Chinese-tied Bitcoin mine in Cheyenne, Wyo., is next door to a Microsoft data center, above, that supports the Pentagon. Stephen Speranza for The New York Times