At the latest Compass Mining meetup, industry enthusiasts and insiders gathered once again to share stories from the trenches, talk shop, and exchange big ideas about Bitcoin mining’s rapidly evolving future. From infrastructure pivoting toward AI, to resiliency lessons from site disasters, this month’s meetup gave attendees a grounded, gritty look at what it takes to operate in the sector that never slows down.

Meet the Speakers

Sean Farrell, Chief Operations Officer at TeraWulf kicked things off. Sean is a power veteran turned Bitcoin miner whose company is now actively branching into AI infrastructure. With facilities like Lake Mariner—built on the bones of legacy power plants—TeraWulf is uniquely positioned to support both Bitcoin and high-performance computing (HPC) applications.

Brad James, Founder of Mining with Brad and the Micro Minery Club, brought his trademark blend of entrepreneurial grit and educational focus.

Shanon Squires, Chief Mining Officer at Compass Mining, served as both moderator and technical anchor throughout the evening. Shanon offered a candid and practical lens on what it means to scale, pivot, and adapt.

Curtis Harris, Senior Director of growth at Compass Mining, served as the evening’s emcee, keeping the conversation flowing with energy, insight, and a deep commitment to building community in the Bitcoin mining space. Curtis' mix of professionalism and passion helped set the tone for another engaging meetup.

Bitcoin Mining Job Postings

As always, the meetup opened with hot job opportunities in the mining sector:

Terawulf on Infrastructure for AI and Bitcoin (The "Pre-Meetup" Segment)

Sean Farrell led an in-depth conversation discussing AI infrastructure needs—like fiber density, power redundancy, and spatial configurations—and how they compare to traditional Bitcoin mining builds.

Sean stressed that while demand for AI-ready infrastructure is real, it's often misunderstood. “Bitcoin sites are not AI sites,” he said, emphasizing the huge premium now attached to “power land” or real estate near strong power infrastructure, like high-capacity transmission lines. TeraWulf is investing in the physical groundwork—fiber, cooling, grid interconnects—to meet both AI and Bitcoin needs, with a vision rooted in operational scale and speed, not AI model development.

Delays, Deployments, and Design Challenges

Brad and Shanon took the stage next for a candid and funny conversation on the realities of deploying mining sites. The key theme? Things go wrong—regularly. From wiring issues and zoning headaches to transformers exploding or getting the wrong size ASICs shipped to a site, infrastructure delays are par for the course.

Brad told the story of a catastrophic fire at a 235,000 square foot warehouse housing one of his sites. Despite massive disruption, he and his team got miners back online within 10 days by moving the entire operation to a different building. It was a testament to the importance of problem-solving, team coordination, and contingency planning.

Shanon agreed: “There are two types of people in mining—those who figure it out, and those who wait. And this industry doesn’t wait.”

Planning for Pivoting

A particularly insightful segment focused on recognizing when it’s time to pivot and how. Brad and Shanon discussed scenarios where sticking to the original plan might not be worth it, especially as infrastructure, capital availability, or client needs change.

Brad’s advice? Build daily planning muscles, not just big-picture goals. “Your best talent might be a former GM at Goodyear or a fine-dining restaurant manager,” he said. “They know how to handle pressure, communicate clearly, and solve problems fast.”

Shanon added that the speed of change in Bitcoin mining makes long timelines dangerous. “Between now and 36 months, Bitcoin could hit a new all-time high, crash 80%, and bounce back. You need infrastructure and people who can ride that wave.”

Hosting vs. Self-Mining & Client Management

They also broke down the differences between running a self-mining operation and managing hosted clients. Hosting brings recurring revenue but demands excellent communication, regular client reviews, and sometimes flexibility in contracts—especially when life throws curveballs like new babies or medical bills.

“A lot of hosting clients don’t realize they’re running a business,” Brad explained. “We coach them to understand their P&L, know when to upgrade, and think beyond just 'buy computer, plug in, mine Bitcoin.'”

Designing for the Future

The night wrapped up with a discussion on hardware form factors and how fast manufacturers like Canaan are evolving. Both Brad and Shanon emphasized the need to “future-proof” site designs—whether that’s upgrading from 6,000 to 10,000-pound concrete floors or anticipating new cooling requirements as power densities surge.

They also noted that while hardware keeps changing, so do the types of people entering the industry. “You’re not just building for tech—you’re building teams, relationships, and local trust,” Brad said.

Final Thoughts

This month’s meetup was a testament to the tenacity and resourcefulness that defines Bitcoin mining. Whether you’re scaling AI-ready infrastructure or keeping a two-megawatt site alive after a disaster, the key ingredient is resilience. The community continues to grow, powered by shared knowledge, technical hustle, and people who aren’t afraid to pivot. You can watch the meetup recording here. 

Looking ahead to next month, it’s clear that the momentum won’t slow down! If you're in the Bitcoin mining game—or looking to get in—you won’t want to miss the next session. If you’re in the Denver area or able to make the trip, stop by for the next Technical Operations Meetup on May 8th! If you can’t make it or want to tune in at a later time, you can catch the next meetup livestream at @spacedenver on X.