Author

Tim Alper

Author

Tim Alper

About Author

Tim Alper is a British journalist and features writer who has worked at Cryptonews.com since 2018. He has written for media outlets such as the BBC, the Guardian, and Chosun Ilbo. He has also worked…

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Last updated: 

July 10, 2025

The Russian government is poised to ban domestic data processing centers from mining crypto if they use subsidized power.

The Russian media outlet RBC reported that the government has revamped a draft law on mining that passed a first reading in the State Duma back in 2022.

Government officials are now working with lawmakers on a bid to refine the bill ahead of a second reading.

Mining Crypto Soon to Be Off-limits in Many Russian Data Centers

The bill proposes asking data processing centers to sign up to a registry curated by the Ministry of Digital Development and Communications.

This process will involve operators pledging not to mine crypto at their centers. Only operators who make these pledges will be allowed to receive electricity at preferential rates.

The bill’s architects say its goal is to prevent miners from being able to claim benefits when paying for electricity.

These benefits will only be provided only to data centers that have been formally recognized as “communication facilities.”

Russian electricity firms provide subsidized power to residential users, as well as industrial sector and commercial firms.

But in recent months, lawmakers have called for power companies to roll out special unsubsidized rates for crypto mining companies.

Membership of the registry will be entirely voluntary, the bill’s authors added. However, all firms that join the registry will be barred from even housing crypto mining rigs, even if these are not connected to the internet.

Industrial Miners Say They’re Ready to Comply

Russian crypto mining experts said the bill has not taken them by surprise. RBC quoted the Intelion Director-General Artem Shchepinov as stating that he anticipated the measure.

Shchepinov added that it would help solidify Russia’s technological sovereignty and strengthening regulated its digital infrastructure.

Others, however, complained that Moscow has not asked the private sector for input before formulating the bill.

A blockchain expert was quoted as saying that the new law could have a detrimental impact on both the industrial crypto mining industry and the conventional data center industry.

But a data center operator claimed the move would do little to dent the capabilities of major industrial miners.

These centers are “self-sufficient and sustainable,” he said, and “do not require government support.”

Dual-use Facilities

However, many major industrial miners operate dual-use centers. These facilities can house both mining and more conventional IT resources.

Shchepinov appeared to suggest that his company has already begun preparing for the change. He gave the example of Intelion’s facilities in the Samara Oblast.

The executive explained that Intelion has already divided this facility into “two clusters that provide crypto mining and AI computing in parallel.”

In May, industry figures revealed that Intelion and BitRiver’s combined revenues for the financial year 2024 hit the $200 million mark.

Around 90% of Russian industrial miners focus their efforts on Bitcoin (BTC), most experts in the nation agree.

However, a significant number of home-based miners in the nation prefer to miner Ethereum (ETH), crypto enthusiasts have told Cryptonews.com.

The Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI) is ready to present its latest installation, Compositions in Code: The Art of Processing and p5.js, from March 6 to August 24 on the Herbert S. Schlosser Media Wall. As the final project in a partnership series with the Tezos Foundation, this exhibition highlights how code-based tools and blockchain technology intersect in today’s art world.

Visitors will get to experience and even collect fragments of the featured artworks as MoMI strives to make digital art and the creative potential of code more accessible.

Artist-Friendly Programming with Processing and p5.js

Processing, first launched in 2001 by Casey Reas and Ben Fry, is celebrated for transforming how people view code as a creative medium. Offering a simplified, sketchbook-like environment that provides immediate visual feedback, Processing lowers the barrier to experimenting with generative and interactive design.

In later years, Lauren Lee McCarthy’s p5.js library took these core principles and adapted them to JavaScript, making it even simpler for artists to produce and share web-based pieces. These open-source tools help to spark new ideas and invite a broader range of creators.

Compositions in Code Exhibit

Organized by MoMI’s Associate Curator of Media Arts, Regina Harsanyi, Compositions in Code features six artists displayed as three diptychs. Early Processing adopters—Marius Watz, LIA, and Robert Hodgin—are paired with p5.js-based practitioners Aleksandra Jovanić, Sarah Ridgley, and Melissa Wiederrecht.

Their contributions showcase how this generation-spanning community has approached code as a medium, each drawing on shared foundations yet offering distinct visual styles. As part of the exhibition, every artist will make a segment of their displayed work available at no cost, either onsite or online via Tezos.

Some examples from Processing

Tezos Blockchain: A Home for Digital Art

The Tezos blockchain has emerged as a popular choice for artists working with Processing and p5.js, thanks to platforms like fxhash, objkt, and EditArt. These marketplaces allow digital creators worldwide to showcase, sell, and collect works in a community-driven environment.

Museums and galleries like Serpentine, Musée d’Orsay, and LAS Art Foundation have also embraced Tezos to expand their Web3 offerings. And, through MoMI’s installation, audiences can witness firsthand how innovative technology and creative coding unite to reshape the future of art.

Opening Reception

Founded in 1985 and located in Astoria, New York, MoMI dedicates itself to exploring the history, technology, and impact of the moving image in all forms. On Thursday, March 6, at 7:00 p.m., MoMI will host an opening reception in partnership with the Tezos Foundation and the Processing Foundation.

The evening will include a panel discussion with artist Marius Watz; Aleksandra Artamonovskaja, Head of Arts at Trilitech (part of the Tezos ecosystem); and Roopa Vasudevan, a mentor from the Processing Foundation.

As the final installation in the series, Compositions in Code showcases the far-reaching impact of creative coding through Processing and p5.js. Both environments empower artists to treat software as a visual experimentation canvas while revealing the unexpected beauty of algorithms at play.