Simple Mining
The company behind the Cascade proposal — now a data center, originally a Bitcoin mine — in its own words and in independent reporting.
Simple Mining is a Cedar Falls–based company that proposed a facility at the Cascade Industrial Park, backed by the Cascade Economic Development Corporation. The proposal has changed: it was first put forward in early 2026 as a containerized Bitcoin mining operation, and is now described as a roughly 12-acre data center — consistent with the company's broader move into data center and AI infrastructure (see its data-center page below). Some early news coverage describes the original mining version; check Latest Updates for current status.
Primary / Industry
The company's own materials
Primary sources straight from Simple Mining. Useful for the company's description of the project, cooling, energy, and jobs.
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Simple Mining (company website)
The company's main site. Describes Simple Mining as a Cedar Falls, Iowa Bitcoin mining firm focused on miner sales, hosting, and repair.
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Simple Mining — AI / data center infrastructure
The company's data-center page, marketing 'power-ready' AI infrastructure sites (40–100 MW each) to AI companies, hyperscalers, and investors — primary evidence of its shift beyond Bitcoin mining.
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Simple Mining company page (LinkedIn)
Company posts and self-reported figures, including its stated use of renewable energy and number of sites.
News
News coverage
Independent reporting on the proposed Cascade facility and the wider Iowa expansion.
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Bitcoin mining company plans to expand to Dubuque County
Local TV report. Notes the plan for about 40 containers on roughly four acres, CEDC backing, ~8 jobs, and a neighbor's concerns about water and power.
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Cascade mayor, economic development leader disagree on impact
Reports that the CEDC leader highlighted potential benefits while the city's mayor raised several concerns; notes Simple Mining purchased about 15 acres.
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Simple Mining plans Bitcoin mining expansion in Dubuque County, Iowa
Industry-press account. Notes the CEDC president described it as a container-based mining operation rather than a conventional data center, and that an agreement requires disclosing maximum potential power demand.
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Iowa Bitcoin miner pushes expansion as Cedar Falls weighs gas plant
Reports the Cascade buildout as relatively modest, with self-contained cooling and developers indicating boundary noise around the level of normal conversation.
Quick reference
What's been reported about the proposal
The proposal has changed
The project was first proposed in early 2026 as a containerized Bitcoin mining operation (about 40 units on roughly four acres). It is now described as a roughly 12-acre data center, in line with Simple Mining's repositioning toward data center and AI infrastructure. Much of the news coverage below predates that change and describes the mining version.
Size and location
The site is in the Cascade Industrial Park, with about 15 acres reported as purchased from the CEDC. The original mining proposal was roughly 40 containers on about four acres; the current proposal is described as a roughly 12-acre data center.
Jobs and backing
Early reporting on the mining version cited an estimated six to eight jobs and CEDC support. Job and power figures for the data-center version may differ and should be confirmed in current city and CEDC records.
'Data center' vs. 'mining operation'
When first proposed, the CEDC president distinguished the project from a conventional data center, calling it a container-based mining operation. The current proposal is described as a data center — so the general data-center research collected on this site now applies more directly. See the Data Centers page.