Antminer X9 cancelled: Bitmain pulled its Monero miner before delivery
In mid-May 2026, resellers began informing customers with pre-orders that Bitmain had cancelled production of the Antminer X9 – the first ASIC with 1 MH/s for Monero (RandomX algorithm). Deposits were refunded before the first units were delivered. Bitmain opened orders on 26 December 2025 and planned deliveries for July 2026. It did not issue an official press release on the cancellation; the information comes from resellers and the Monero community.
What the Antminer X9 was
| Parameter | Antminer X9 (announced) | Antminer X5 |
|---|---|---|
| Algorithm | RandomX (Monero) | RandomX (Monero) |
| Hashrate | 1 MH/s (1,000 KH/s) | 212 KH/s |
| Power draw | 2,472–2,500 W (sources differ) | 1,350 W |
| Status | cancelled before delivery | on the market |
Why Bitmain withdrew the model
Resellers quoted vague “technical adjustments and a new strategy”. Bitmain has not publicly explained the real reasons, so they can only be guessed at.
The most common explanation is opposition from the Monero (XMR) community, which has long championed ASIC resistance: the RandomX algorithm is designed to be mined efficiently on ordinary processors. After the X9 was announced, a discussion started on the Monero project's GitHub about how to respond to machines with such performance, including a possible algorithm change. If that happened, expensive ASICs would become useless overnight. Selling thousands of units with such a risk would be a major problem for a manufacturer.
Will there be a replacement?
According to market reports, Bitmain has hinted that it will replace the X9 with another model. However, no specifications, price or date have been announced. There is speculation about a lower-performance machine that would not provoke the Monero community as much, or a model for a future version of the algorithm.
What it means for Antminer X5 owners
- Network difficulty: because the X9 never reached the market, Monero's difficulty did not rise as sharply as expected. The X5 with 212 KH/s has therefore remained in operation without new competition.
- Risk of an algorithm change: this remains. If Monero changed its algorithm, it would affect the X5 too. This risk must be factored in for any ASIC built for coins that reject ASICs.
Anyone who had pre-ordered the X9 was entitled to a refund of the deposit. We explain why ASIC pre-orders are risky in general in our article on the risks of miner pre-orders.
What next
- Zcash and Monero vs bitcoin – when mining privacy coins pays off.
- Who makes ASIC miners – an overview of manufacturers, including Bitmain.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
Did Bitmain officially announce the cancellation of the X9?
Does the Antminer X5 still work?
This text was prepared with the help of AI. Facts, figures and procedures were checked by Yegor.
