Inside the Rise of Bitcoin-Powered Pools and Bathhouses

Around the world, a handful of establishments are turning to the same methods in an attempt to harness energy from intensive computing for greater societal use, including to heat a town in Finland and an Olympic pool in Paris. But while proponents argue that these solutions could lower local energy costs and reduce electricity and water usage, some environmentalists worry these small-scale methods obscure much bigger problems. Data centers use a massive and increasing amount of energy, with many of them powered by fossil fuels—and most of their heat waste isn’t being channeled into productive uses at all.