How it happened Everyone has probably heard the story of James Howells.
In 2013, this 27-year-old British developer's life changed when he threw away a hard drive that may now be the world's most expensive.
Howells had two 2.5-inch HDDs.One he wanted to throw away, and the other had a digital wallet with 7,500 bitcoins on it.
Unfortunately, the second HDD ended up in the landfill.
Now the programmer's lifelong goal is to find that hard drive.
James' plan
In 2017, when the price of bitcoin reached $13,000, James remembered about his HDD.After trying to plug it in, he realized what he had done.
That's when he petitioned the Newport City Council to be allowed to search the local landfill.
by studying garbage truck traffic,
James and his comrades narrowed the search area to 200 square meters.
The garbage is about 15 meters deep.
As a result, there is to search about 300k tons of garbage, and if the disk in the upper layers - then "only" 100k tons.
Reaction of the authorities
The city authorities did not allow James to excavate, believing it would cost millions of pounds and damage the environment.
Howells offered to pay a quarter of the treasure found, but this did not convince the city authorities.
All of James' requests were rejected, no matter what option he offered.
The City Council assures that it will not approve the excavation under any conditions.
Howells intends to sue, claiming that the authorities' actions constitute an illegal embargo on the drive.
New technologies
Howells hasn't given up and has taken it to the next level.
He hopes to convince local authorities to allow the hard drive search with the help of a hedge fund.
Venture capitalists from Switzerland and Germany have pledged $11 million for the project if it gets approval.
The plan is to use artificial intelligence and automation to sort through trash with minimal environmental damage.
The trash will be dug up by machines and sorting will take place at a temporary facility next to the landfill.
A special Max-AI machine trained to detect hard drives will assist with sorting.
For security, Howells envisioned 24-hour video surveillance and patrols by Boston Dynamics' Spot robotic dogs.
All for the greater good Howells plans to keep 30% of the bitcoins.Another 30% will go to the data recovery team and investors. The remaining money will go to the local community.
After the excavation, Howells wants to recycle as much of the waste as possible and rebury the rest. His team is considering building a solar or wind farm at the landfill site.
Howells avoids thinking about the failure or what he will do with the money so he doesn't freak out. He is now waiting to hear back from the authorities, perfecting the plan and preparing to start digging.
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