Frequently Asked Questions

OBM is a leader in flexible load management solutions, providing energy agility, operational simplicity, and risk mitigation for Bitcoin miners, power suppliers, and other energy-intensive operations like high-performance computing (HPC) data centers and other commercial and industrial applications. The company combines an innovative compute management platform, energy optimization technology, and broad energy partnerships to give operators precise control over large industrial loads.

OBM helps energy-intensive businesses like Bitcoin mining and high-performance computing (HPC) data centers unlock energy agility, simplify operations, and convert efficiency into greater profits. Specifically, OBM enables operators to optimize energy usage, automate demand response, reduce financial and operational risk, and participate confidently in grid programs while keeping operations running.

OBM was founded in 2017 by Daniel Lawrence (CEO) and Jake Luers (CTO), two former Bitcoin miners with backgrounds in network security, software engineering, and data science. The founders originally built the company to revolutionize mining operations and have since expanded the business to serve power suppliers, HPC data centers, and other energy-intensive C&I industries.

OBM is headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland.

OBM serves more than 10,000 customers through its flagship Foreman platform, with deployments spanning Bitcoin mining operators, HPC data centers, and power suppliers.

OBM has a proven track record of managing loads over 500 MW and has curtailed nearly 9 million MW to date.

OBM manages compute and energy-intensive devices across 56+ countries, with a significant operational presence in ERCOT and other major U.S. wholesale and retail electricity markets. The company has integrated customer loads into leading demand response programs nationwide.

OBM is the leader in flexible load management solutions, empowering energy-intensive industries to unlock energy agility with unmatched precision, control, and efficiency, allowing operators to adjust power use dynamically, without sacrificing performance or profitability.

To provide energy agility to the world’s most innovative industries

OBM offers a portfolio of flexible load management solutions for energy-intensive industries, including:

• Foreman, the industry-leading Bitcoin mine management software
• Advanced Power Management, part of Foreman, including Price Response and Adaptive Dispatches for automated energy strategies
• Behind-the-meter load management for sites using wind, solar, gas flare, or other on-site generation
• Real-Time Settlements (RTS), a daily settlement and credit risk solution for power suppliers and miners

Foreman is OBM’s flagship product and the industry-leading Bitcoin mine management platform, trusted by 10,000+ mining operations worldwide. Foreman enables operators to remotely manage sites from anywhere, providing real-time monitoring, alerts, bulk miner management, power controls, and automated demand response participation. Foreman includes essential features in every subscription plus optional premium add-ons such as Advanced Power Management, Asset and Inventory Management, and Data and Reporting.

Every Foreman subscription includes four essential features:

• Real-Time Monitoring and Insights for hash rates, miner status, and earnings in a customizable dashboard
• Alerts and Triggers that detect issues in real time and automate fixes to minimize downtime
• Power Controls that manage energy usage to enhance performance and reduce costs
• Bulk Miner Management to apply configuration changes across thousands of miners instantly

Foreman premium add-ons include Advanced Power Management (hands-free energy management with price response, time-of-use scheduling, and demand response integration), Asset and Inventory Management, Foreman Intelligence, Security and Compliance through the Foreman Trust Center, and Managed Network Services.

Advanced Power Management is a Foreman add-on that provides hands-free, automated energy management for operations in both regulated and deregulated markets. It includes Price Response Plus, Adaptive Dispatches for precise curtailment, partner integrations with QSEs, CSPs, utilities, and co-ops, and automated demand response participation.

Price Response Plus is a capability within Advanced Power Management that enables Bitcoin miners to maximize profitability in dynamic pricing markets by automatically responding to real-time electricity prices. Foreman calculates optimal strike prices per miner model in real time, factoring in power price, hash price, and network difficulty, eliminating manual math and spreadsheets. The feature includes three automated curtailment strategies (Basic on/off, Power Mode for discrete underclocking or overclocking, and Wattage Target for granular wattage-level precision), independent strike prices for hosted and co-location customers, ancillary program support for programs such as ECRS, hardware safety protections against rapid power cycling, and broad hardware support including Bitmain (stock, Vnish, Braiins OS, and LuxOS), Whatsminer, and Avalon.

Adaptive Dispatches are a set of Foreman capabilities that deliver maximum profit per MW while protecting infrastructure during curtailment. They include Active Curtailment Monitoring, Set Point Dispatches, Buffered Dispatches for behind-the-meter generation, Recurring Schedules, and Execution Sequences that keep the most profitable miners running when only part of a load needs to be curtailed.

Yes. OBM’s behind-the-meter solution is designed for sites that source power from wind, solar, gas flare, or other on-site generation, with or without grid connectivity. Foreman automatically prioritizes the most efficient miners, manages variable power availability, executes grid arbitrage when grid-connected, and prevents site shutdowns caused by tripped relays.

Real-Time Settlements (RTS) is OBM’s solution that enables power suppliers to invoice and collect from customers daily based on actual real-time energy consumption and market prices. RTS reduces typical 45 to 60 day payment cycles to 3 days or less, automates ACH collections, and integrates with load control so that if a daily settlement fails, the supplier can curtail consumption behind the meter before exposure accumulates. RTS allows miners to no longer need to provide large amounts of collateral to work with a power supplier.

OBM helps Bitcoin miners maximize uptime, reduce operational risk, and unlock new revenue through Foreman’s remote site management, automated energy controls, and integrations with demand response and grid programs. Miners using OBM can monitor and manage thousands of machines from anywhere, automate curtailment, participate in demand response programs, and negotiate better power contracts.

Yes. Foreman automates curtailment through Adaptive Dispatches and Power Controls, allowing miners to respond to grid signals, time-of-use schedules, behind-the-meter generation fluctuations, and dynamic market prices without manual intervention. Operators can set rules so the most efficient miners stay running while less efficient miners are curtailed first.

Yes. OBM integrates with leading demand response aggregators and programs including Voltus, CPower, and GridBeyond, as well as QSEs, CSPs, local utilities, and co-ops. Foreman supports demand response, peak response, and other programs across regulated and deregulated markets, enabling miners to earn revenue for curtailment or secure lower energy rates.

Yes. Foreman includes specific capabilities for behind-the-meter mining sites that use on-site generation such as wind, solar, or gas flare. The platform automatically adjusts power draw to match available generation, prioritizes the most efficient miners, prevents complete site shutdowns from tripped relays, and executes grid arbitrage for sites with both behind-the-meter and grid connectivity.

OBM’s Real-Time Settlements (RTS) allows miners to work with power suppliers without tying up large amounts of capital upfront. By facilitating daily settlement of actual energy usage, RTS eliminates the need for traditional 45 to 60 day collateral requirements. Miners gain access to power opportunities previously out of reach and free up capital for site improvements and growth.

Foreman supports Bitcoin mining operations of all sizes, from small private operators to enterprise-scale fleets managing thousands of machines. Foreman customers are in over 56 countries around the world.  The platform also supports specialized configurations including ERCOT Controllable Load Resource (CLR) qualified sites, behind-the-meter generation sites, and sites participating in multiple demand response programs simultaneously.

OBM helps power suppliers grow their customer base, mitigate financial and operational risk, and confidently serve high-energy customers such as Bitcoin miners and AI data centers. OBM’s solutions give suppliers direct, automated control over flexible loads through Foreman, daily payment settlement through Real-Time Settlements, and the ability to onboard customers who would otherwise be considered too risky to serve.

OBM provides direct, automated load control rather than relying on customers to implement curtailment requests manually. Traditional demand response is a call-and-hope model: the supplier asks the customer to reduce load and waits to see if it happens. OBM gives power suppliers automated, precise, real-time control that executes curtailment reliably, which is the difference between guaranteed demand response and best-effort demand response.

Real-Time Settlements reduces financial risk for power suppliers by shortening payment cycles from 45 to 60 days down to 3 days or less, automating daily ACH collections, and integrating with load control so that suppliers can curtail consumption behind the meter the moment a payment fails. This is the only settlement solution that offers a cure in the event of non-payment, turning payment risk into a manageable operational variable.

Yes. OBM enables power suppliers to confidently serve Bitcoin miners, AI data centers, and other energy-intensive customers that have historically been considered too risky to onboard. By combining Real-Time Settlements for credit risk and Foreman for operational control, suppliers can offer competitive rates with minimal risk exposure, reduce collateral requirements, and accelerate customer onboarding.

OBM is not an aggregator. OBM is a flexible load management technology provider that works alongside aggregators such as Voltus, CPower, and GridBeyond to deliver direct operational control of the underlying load. Where aggregators primarily handle market participation and money movement, OBM handles the precise, automated execution of curtailment at the customer site.

Power suppliers partnering with OBM gain several benefits:

• Direct, automated control over flexible industrial loads
• Reduced financial risk and collateral requirements through daily settlement
• Ability to confidently onboard high-energy customers previously deemed unbankable
• Faster cash flow and lower exposure with 3-day payment cycles
• Tools to differentiate offers and capture market share

Yes. OBM supports ERCOT’s Controllable Load Resource (CLR) program through Foreman, delivering precise 15-second frequency response and linear load adjustments every 5 minutes. Foreman became the first solution to enable a Bitcoin mining operation to qualify for ERCOT’s CLR program following the resolution of patent restrictions, demonstrated through the Revolution Mining project in Texas.

Yes. OBM has helped multiple customers to qualify for ERCOT’s CLR program.

Foreman offers out-of-the-box integrations with leading QSEs, CSPs, local utilities, co-ops, and demand response aggregators including Voltus, CPower, and GridBeyond. The platform also integrates with smart PDUs, cooling towers, external fans and temperature sensors, network switches, Modbus devices for behind-the-meter generation, and existing SCADA and logic controller systems through the Premium Power Control API.

Foreman delivers customizable real-time alerts for critical events such as miner downtime, power outages, and pool issues through platforms including Discord, Telegram, Google Chat, and Slack.

OBM maintains SOC 1 Type I, SOC 2 Type I, and ISO 27001 certifications. The Foreman Trust Center provides centralized, on-demand access to SOC 1 and SOC 2 reports, bridge letters, and ISO 27001 documentation. The platform also supports Single Sign-On (SSO) for enterprise customer security management.

To get started with OBM, visit obm.io to learn about products and solutions, or contact the OBM team directly at contact@obm.io to schedule a demo. Existing Foreman customers can continue to access their dashboard at dashboard.foreman.mn.

Power suppliers interested in Real-Time Settlements can schedule a demo at obm.io to learn how RTS can help them grow their customer base without growing their risk, including reducing collateral requirements, accelerating cash flow, and confidently serving high-energy customers.

Bitcoin miners can visit obm.io or contact contact@obm.io to schedule a Foreman demo, learn about pricing for essential and premium features, and discuss site-specific configurations including behind-the-meter generation, demand response participation, and ERCOT CLR qualification.

Yes. OBM’s team of experts in energy management, network infrastructure, and data analysis works closely with customers to build effective energy strategies, connect to energy markets, and optimize program performance. OBM positions itself as more than a software supplier and takes a consultative approach with mining, data center, and power supplier clients.