"The landscape is much different now. Many large-scale mines are shifting from warehouse set-ups to data centers better equipped to deliver the massive power and cooling resources necessary to compete in a steadily accelerating industry.
CoinDesk spoke with executives from some of the biggest hardware companies in the mining space. During those discussions a picture emerged of an industry undergoing a rapid level of investment, development, and most importantly, competition.
KnCMiner director of marketing and public relations Nanok Bie put it simply: “It’s an arms race. Absolutely.”"
http://www.coindesk.com/gold-rush-arms-race-bitcoin-mining-north/And on another note (Mar 26 2014):
"This requires a lot of electricity. Carlson said
more than three megawatts fuel MegaBigPower's global operations, including Poland. The two buildings in Washington are about 16,000 square feet total, with just about all available space used for mining and power equipment. Carlson said he's "bumping up" against the maximum amount of electricity he can get into his buildings."
http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2014/03/meet-the-manic-miner-who-wants-to-mint-10-of-all-new-bitcoins/