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Investment in Equity Investees | 9 Months Ended
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Sep. 30, 2022
Equity Method Investments and Joint Ventures [Abstract] |
Investment in Equity Investees | NOTE 8. INVESTMENT IN EQUITY INVESTEES On June 10, 2021, the Company and WindHQ LLC (“WindHQ”) signed a binding definitive framework agreement with respect to the construction, buildout, deployment and operation of one or more data centers (“Data Centers”) in the United States (the “WindHQ Joint Venture Agreement”). The WindHQ Joint Venture Agreement provides that the parties shall collaborate to fund the construction and buildout of certain specified Data Centers at locations already identified by the parties (“Initial Data Centers”). Each Initial Data Center will be owned by a separate limited liability company (each, an “Initial Data Center LLC”), and WindHQ and the Company will each own 51% and 49%, respectively, of the initial membership interests of each Initial Data Center LLC. The WindHQ Joint Venture Agreement includes a development schedule for additional electrical power capacity through the joint identification, procurement, development and operation of additional Data Centers (“Future Data Centers”). Each Future Data Center will be owned by a separate limited liability company (each, a “Future Data Center LLC”, and collectively with the Initial Data Center LLCs, the “Data Center LLCs”), and the Company and WindHQ, or respective affiliates of the Company or WindHQ, shall become a member of each Data Center LLC by entering into a limited liability company agreement for each such Data Center LLC (“LLC Agreement”). WindHQ will own at least 51% of the initial membership interests of each Data Center LLC and the Company will own a maximum of 49% of the initial membership interests of each Data Center LLC. Furthermore, under the WindHQ Joint Venture Agreement, WindHQ is required to procure energy for Future Data Centers at the most favorable pricing then available. Similarly, the Company is required to procure the applicable equipment needed for the Future Data Centers at the most favorable pricing then available. Under the WindHQ Joint Venture Agreement, WindHQ agrees to provide a series of services to each of the Data Centers, including but not limited to: (i) the design and engineering of each of the Data Centers; (ii) the procurement of energy equipment and other related services such as logistics for each of the Data Centers; and (iii) the construction work for each of the Data Centers. Furthermore, the Company is required to support and monitor (remotely) the operations of the hardware at each Data Center (particularly the mining servers) as required under the WindHQ Joint Venture Agreement. A development fee equal to 2% of capital expenditures in respect of the initial development of each Data Center shall be paid 50% to WindHQ and 50% to the Company. Furthermore, a fee equal to 2% of the gross revenues of each of the Data Center LLCs will be payable monthly, based on the immediately prior month gross revenue of such Data Center, 50% to WindHQ and 50% to the Company. For each Data Center, WindHQ and the Company will cooperate to prepare a financial model incorporating the relevant economic factors of such Data Center, and both WindHQ and the Company will provide the initial funding required for each Data Center on a pro rata basis in accordance with the parties’ respective ownership interests in the applicable Data Center LLC. In the absence of any material breaches by either party, the WindHQ Joint Venture Agreement may only be terminated by mutual written consent of both parties. Currently, it is not anticipated by the Company’s management that its investment in any of the individual Data Center LLCs will meet the definition of a variable interest entity in accordance with ASC 810, and the Company will not have a controlling voting interest in any of the Data Center LLCs. Based upon the Company's expectation that it will have significant influence over the operations and major decisions of the Data Center LLCs, the Company’s 49% ownership in each individual Data Center LLC will be separately accounted for under the equity method of accounting, as the Company does not expect to exercise control over the Data Center LLCs. On January 28, 2022, in connection with the WindHQ Joint Venture Agreement, Cipher Mining Technologies and Alborz Interests DC LLC (a subsidiary of WindHQ), as members, entered into the Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of Alborz LLC (the “Alborz LLC Agreement”). On May 16, 2022, in connection with the WindHQ Joint Venture Agreement, Cipher Mining Technologies and Bear Interests DC LLC (a subsidiary of WindHQ), as members, entered into the Amended and Restated Limited Liability Company Agreement of Bear LLC (the “Bear LLC Agreement”). The Alborz and Bear LLC Agreements delineate the rights and obligations of the members related to the construction, operation and management, respectively, of the Alborz Facility and the Bear facility (the “Bear Facility”) also located in Texas. The Company is required to support and monitor (remotely) the operations of the hardware at the Alborz Facility and the Bear Facility (particularly the mining servers) under the WindHQ Joint Venture Agreement. The Company uses the equity method of accounting to account for its 49% equity interest in the LLCs. The Company recognized $1.9 million and $2.6 million as equity in the net loss of Alborz LLC in the accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022, respectively. Cryptocurrency mining operations had not commenced at the Bear Facility as of September 30, 2022. In June 2022 and July 2022, the Company contributed 6,629 miners and 2,375 miners, respectively, to the Alborz Facility, which are included in the 12,953 total of miners contributed to the Alborz Facility. At the time of these contributions, the contributed miners had a fair value that was lower than the cost paid by the Company to obtain them, and the Company recognized losses of $7.2 million and $18.8 million during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2022, respectively. These losses were recorded within equity in loss of equity investment on the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations and represent a basis difference related to the Company’s investment in Alborz LLC as Alborz LLC recorded the equipment at the historical cost paid by the Company to obtain the equipment. As Alborz LLC depreciates the historical cost of these batches of miners on its financial statements over the expected depreciation period of five years, the Company will accrete this basis difference over the same period and will record the accretion amount for each reporting period within equity in earnings (loss) of equity investment on its consolidated statements of income until the miners are fully depreciated and the corresponding basis difference is fully accreted. See accretion recorded during the nine months ended September 30, 2022 in the table below. Activity in investment in equity investee during the nine months ended September 30, 2022 consisted of the following (amounts in thousands):
Balance, December 31, 2021 |  | $ | - |
Cost of miners and mining equipment contributed, net of losses recognized upon contribution |  |  | 74,384 |
Sales taxes to be paid by Cipher on behalf of equity investee |  |  | 5,316 |
Accretion of basis difference |  |  | 821 |
Legal costs related to formation of joint ventures reclassified from deferred investment costs |  |  | 174 |
Capital distributions |  |  | (43,291 | )
Cryptocurrencies received from equity investee |  |  | (3,139 | )
Equity in net loss of equity investee |  |  | (2,574 | )
Balance, September 30, 2022 |  | $ | 31,690 |

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- Definition The entire disclosure for equity method investments and joint ventures. Equity method investments are investments that give the investor the ability to exercise significant influence over the operating and financial policies of an investee. Joint ventures are entities owned and operated by a small group of businesses as a separate and specific business or project for the mutual benefit of the members of the group. + References Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/disclosureRef -Publisher FASB -Name Accounting Standards Codification -Topic 323 -URI https://asc.fasb.org/topic&trid=2196965 + Details
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