We explain bitcoin mining’s basic design parameters as a kind of energy-intensive lottery that secures a distributed network and fairly distributes new bitcoin. Those design parameters cause it to be a flexible, scalable, portable, location-agnostic, and price-sensitive consumer of electricity. That, in turn, dictates its relentless search for waste energy, whether mitigating flare gas in remote oil fields or co-locating with solar and wind installations. Bitcoin miners, like dung beetles, subsist on waste.

For contrast, we compare AI computing to locusts, which feed on valuable crops: their power usage is mostly inflexible, location-dependent, scale-dependent, and price-insensitive. AI data centers add to peak demand, requiring additional peak generation from grids.