Hundreds of machines in black and white, big as shoe boxes, are lined up on shelves in steel or cluttered wires. The lights flash on the boxes where vrombissent of small fans. On one side, they suck in the fresh air conveyed by the imposing columns. On the other, they recrachent a breeze hot – 45 degrees approximately, evacuated to a hatch in the ceiling thanks to a system of sheeting and panels.
“It is essential to avoid overheating the chips,” says Sébastien Gouspillou, co-founder of the company Bigblock Datacenter, located in Orvault (Loire-Atlantique), near Nantes. The roar of the fans is such that his words are barely audible. “Down there, near the ups, we also have cabinets, air-conditioning “, he adds pointing to a huge closet grey. And this is nothing next to the next room, in which turn dozens of other machines, chockfull of processors and graphics cards.
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These specialized computers have a specific function : they “undermine” the cryptomonnaies, and, in particular, of bitcoin. In detail, they perform calculations to validate the transactions in bitcoin made anywhere in the world, and record it in the ” blockchain “, the equivalent of a huge book of accounts, encrypted, and decentralized. Each calculation performed is rewarded by the issuing of new bitcoins, the unit value of which is changing, these days, around 6 500 euros.
