REG-Quantum Blockchain Technologies Plc: Porting AI Oracle onto an Antminer S9

Quantum Blockchain TechnologiesAnnouncement

Tue 07:02

24 March 2026

 

 

Quantum Blockchain Technologies Plc

("QBT" or "the Company")

 

 

Commencement of Testing of the AI Oracle on a Bitmain Mining Rig

 

Quantum Blockchain Technologies plc (AIM: QBT), the AIM-listed investment
company focused principally on a research, development and investment
programme within blockchain technology is pleased to confirm that an internal
project, which it started in August 2025, to use a Bitmain Antminer S9 ("S9")
mining rig as a testing and commercial demonstration environment for the
software version of QBT's Method C's AI Oracle, has now reached the live
in-house testing stage.

 

The purpose for this project is to enable the Company to demonstrate to
potential customers results of the AI Oracle's enhanced performance on a      
               commercial grade                     mining rig.

 

Historically, QBT's R&D team has provided results based on the performance of
its software simulator which the Company has been running in its Milan
laboratory for over a year. However, following a number of meetings with
larger US-based Bitcoin mining companies, it is the view of the QBT Board that
the AI Oracle's results can be expected to appeal to a wider market if the
Company were to showcase successfully the software's efficiencies on an
industry recognised commercial mining rig, such as the S9.

 

A key factor in the decision to select the S9 was that it is the last Bitmain
mining rig to use a publicly available open-source operating system and
firmware for field-programmable gate array                     ("FPGA") on
the control boards. All new mining rigs produced by Bitmain (e.g. S19, S21 and
S23) no longer provide open-source accessibility.

 

So far, QBT has successfully modified both the operating system and FPGA
firmware on the S9 in order to make it suitable for the software version of
Method C's AI Oracle installation which will be done in three steps:

 

·                                   Data collection of the ASIC
Hashing behavior to train the AI Oracle,

·                                   Integration of the AI
Oracle with the existing S9 software environment and,

·                                   Testing and fine tuning of
AI Oracle's performance during live mining.

 

QBT's S9 provides an excellent testbed to demonstrate the performance of the
Company's technology on a real industrial mining rig which can facilitate
proof of concept which QBT can then deploy on current commercial mining rigs.

 

The Company anticipates that the ability to demonstrate the increased quality
hashing performance on the S9 is a key step in securing commercial
demonstrations with large Bitcoin miners. QBT's commercial targets are
therefore represented by companies that fall into two categories and QBT plans
to target both:

 
*            those which have, in recent years, made material investments to
develop their own proprietary versions of Bitmain's control boards, operating
systems and firmware, and,          
         *            the aftermarket control board system integrators, which
have developed similar hardware and software.
 

 

 

 

As regards aftermarket control boards manufacturers, QBT has engaged in
ongoing discussions with these companies and anticipates that access to these
aftermarket control boards (and related operating systems and firmware) can be
obtained once a commercial agreement has been made.

 

It is important to clarify that the porting of Method C's AI Oracle onto the
recently delivered third party ASIC manufacturer's mining rig, now delivered
and operational in QBT's R&D laboratory in Milan University (as announced on 6
March 2026) is a separate project to the S9 one. Results from the tests on the
ASIC manufacturer's rig will not be able to be shared with the general Bitcoin
mining market, hence the need to complete identical testing on a generic
miner, such as the S9.

 

The Company can state, however, that the previously reported increased mining
efficiency demonstrated on QBT's laboratory simulator is now being tested on
commercial miners. Having performed exhaustive tests on the simulator for many
months, the Company believes that the AI Oracle will duly perform when
scaled-up to a multiple ASIC miner although there cannot be guarantee at this
stage.

 

These two simultaneous projects with the S9 and ASIC manufacturer's mining
rigs will be the first commercial tests of the software version of QBT's AI
Oracle.

 

Francesco Gardin, CEO and Executive Chairman of QBT, commented                
   , "I am extremely pleased with the results achieved so far, which show how
the Company has mastered the inner most details of all levels of a commercial
mining rig. The set-up of the AI Oracle on the S9 is a key milestone which has
taken us from using Method C on a software simulator which QBT has been
running in its Milan laboratory for over a year, to the full multi-ASIC mining
rig.

 

We stated in our announcement of 19 June 2025 that QBT was targeting the
installation of its technology onto the aftermarket control boards operating
system software and the core firmware of commercial mining rigs. Subsequently,
based on the many meetings we have held with potential partners and customers
on the implementation of this strategy, the Company took a view that it would
implement this strategy simultaneously on the Bitmain Antminer S9, the only
available rig with an open-source operating system software and core firmware.
We believe the increased mining efficiency demonstrated by this project will
open up a much larger target market for our products."

 

 

-ends-

 

For further information please contact:

 

Quantum Blockchain Technologies Plc                               +39 335
296573

Francesco Gardin, CEO and Executive Chairman

 

SP Angel Corporate Finance                               (Nominated Adviser &
Broker)                     +44 (0) 20 3470 0470

Jeff Keating/ Caroline Rowe / Devik Mehta

 

Leander                                                    (Financial PR)    
                +44 (0) 7795 168 157

Christian Taylor-Wilkinson

 

 

About Quantum Blockchain Technologies Plc

 

QBT (AIM: QBT) is a London Stock Exchange AIM listed Research & Development
and investing company focused on an intensive R&D programme to disrupt the
Blockchain Technologies sector which includes, cryptocurrency mining and other
advanced blockchain applications. The primary goal of the R&D programme is to
develop Bitcoin mining tools and techniques, via its technology-driven
approach, which the Company believes will significantly outperform existing
market practices.

 



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