Company Description
Canaan Inc. (NASDAQ: CAN) is a technology company that focuses on ASIC high-performance computing chip design, chip research and development, computing equipment production, and software services. The company is closely associated with the semiconductor and related device manufacturing industry and plays a central role in the global bitcoin mining hardware ecosystem. Established in 2013, Canaan has developed extensive experience in chip design and streamlined production in the ASIC field, supporting both its hardware sales and its own bitcoin mining operations.
Canaan is known for its Avalon-branded mining machines. In 2013, the founding team shipped to customers what it describes as the world's first batch of bitcoin mining machines incorporating ASIC technology under the Avalon brand. Over time, the company has grown into a major supplier of ASIC-based bitcoin mining equipment, and its disclosures state that its machines have held the second largest share of the global bitcoin mining market in recent periods. In 2019, Canaan completed its initial public offering on the Nasdaq Global Market, listing under the ticker symbol CAN.
Business model and revenue drivers
According to company disclosures, Canaan generates revenue primarily from the sales of bitcoin mining machines and related parts and accessories. These products are based on the company’s own ASIC chip designs and are sold under the Avalon series, including air-cooled and liquid-cooled models. In addition to product sales, Canaan also reports revenue from self-operated bitcoin mining, where it deploys its own computing equipment in mining projects across multiple regions. The company also mentions software services as part of its business focus, alongside hardware production.
Canaan’s operations span hardware design, manufacturing, and deployment. The company highlights its vertically integrated approach, which includes ASIC R&D, production of computing equipment, and participation in mining operations. It also manages a cryptocurrency treasury, holding bitcoin and ether on its balance sheet as part of its asset base. Company updates describe a treasury strategy focused on operational reinvestment and scaling reserves, with bitcoin and ether balances that have reached historical highs.
Position in the bitcoin mining hardware market
In multiple public communications, Canaan notes that its Avalon machines have the second largest share of the global bitcoin mining market among ASIC-based hardware manufacturers over certain periods. The company reports record computing power sold, measured in exahashes per second (EH/s), and large purchase orders from institutional mining clients, including a landmark order for more than 50,000 Avalon A15 Pro mining machines from a U.S.-based bitcoin miner. These disclosures underscore Canaan’s role as a significant supplier of ASIC mining hardware to industrial-scale operators.
Canaan also participates directly in mining. The company regularly reports metrics such as deployed hashrate, operating hashrate, installed power capacity, and bitcoins mined per month. Its mining projects are located in regions including North America, Ethiopia, the Middle East, and Malaysia, according to recent operational updates. Through these activities, Canaan combines hardware sales with self-mining and joint mining arrangements.
Global footprint and infrastructure
Company press releases describe a growing global infrastructure base. Canaan reports installed power capacity for its mining operations measured in hundreds of megawatts across North America and non-North American sites. It also discloses active mining projects in multiple countries, with energized, installed, and expected computing power reported in EH/s. These updates indicate that Canaan’s mining footprint extends across several regions and that it deploys its own Avalon systems in various hosting and joint-mining structures.
Canaan has also entered into hosting and infrastructure partnerships. For example, it has announced a strategic hosting agreement to deploy Avalon A15 XP miners at a wind-powered data center in Texas, and a gas-to-computing pilot in Canada that converts stranded natural gas into power for bitcoin mining. These projects are described as part of a broader strategy to align high-density computing with energy infrastructure and to pursue low-cost, sustainable power sources for mining.
Energy efficiency and heat recovery initiatives
The company places emphasis on energy efficiency and practical energy reuse. Canaan has announced a 3.0 MW proof-of-concept in Manitoba, Canada, using an Avalon computing system to recover heat from liquid-cooled computing servers and use it as supplemental heating for greenhouse operations. The project targets high uptime and a high proportion of electricity consumption captured as usable heat. Canaan describes this as part of broader initiatives to make high-density computing more efficient and to explore industrial heat-reuse deployments.
In its communications, Canaan also refers to bitcoin-mining space heaters for home use and multi-functional home-use mining machines as part of efforts to empower individuals to participate in network building. These initiatives connect the company’s ASIC and system design capabilities with emerging applications that combine computing and heating in residential and commercial settings.
Capital markets activity and corporate structure
Canaan is listed on the Nasdaq Global Market under the ticker CAN and files reports with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as a foreign private issuer on Form 20-F and Form 6-K. The company has used several capital markets tools, including registered direct offerings, at-the-market equity offering programs, and share repurchase programs. For example, it has disclosed a renewed share buyback program authorizing repurchases of its American depositary shares (ADSs) and Class A ordinary shares, and it has filed a prospectus supplement establishing an at-the-market program to sell ADSs for funding data center development, mining growth, production expansion, and research and development.
In addition to equity offerings, Canaan reports strategic investments from institutional investors, with proceeds intended to strengthen its balance sheet and support utility-grade computing and energy infrastructure projects. These activities illustrate how the company uses capital markets to fund expansion in both hardware production and mining infrastructure.
Financial reporting and operating metrics
Canaan provides regular unaudited monthly updates on bitcoin production and mining operations, as well as quarterly financial results. In these disclosures, the company reports total revenues, computing power sold, mining revenue, gross profit, operating expenses, and non-GAAP metrics such as adjusted EBITDA. It also details mining-related metrics, including bitcoins mined, deployed and operating hashrate, miner efficiency measured in joules per terahash (J/TH), and average all-in power costs per kilowatt-hour.
The company’s cryptocurrency treasury is another recurring topic in its reports. Canaan defines its treasury as the total number of bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies owned on its balance sheet, excluding customer deposits. It discloses changes in bitcoin and ether holdings from mining, market purchases, sales-related income, interest income, and expenditures such as power-related costs. These disclosures show how digital assets form part of Canaan’s corporate asset base and how treasury management interacts with its mining operations.
Research, development, and product evolution
Research and development is a core part of Canaan’s business. The company reports R&D expenses in its financial statements and highlights ongoing chip development and product launches. It has unveiled next-generation Avalon A16 series mining machines, including air-cooled models with stated energy efficiency improvements. Canaan emphasizes its experience in ASIC design and streamlined production, and it positions new product generations as responses to rising network difficulty and demand for more efficient mining hardware.
Beyond pure mining performance, Canaan’s public communications describe pilot initiatives that explore the relationship between bitcoin mining, energy management, and broader computing applications. Examples include projects related to grid balancing, stranded natural gas utilization, and residential heat integration. These initiatives suggest that the company is using its ASIC and system design capabilities to explore intersections between computing and energy infrastructure.
Regulatory status and reporting framework
Canaan files current reports on Form 6-K to furnish press releases and transaction-related information, including mining updates, strategic investments, at-the-market programs, and share repurchases. It also files annual reports on Form 20-F. Several 6-K filings incorporate exhibits by reference into the company’s shelf registration statement on Form F-3, which is used for offerings such as the at-the-market program and registered direct offerings. These filings provide investors with access to detailed financial, operational, and capital markets information under the U.S. securities law framework.