Key Takeaways
- Intel has introduced a sequence of Bitcoin mining chips referred to as “Blockscale,” which it would start to ship later this yr.
- Numerous mining companies have ordered the chip, together with Argo, Hive, GRIID, and Block Inc. (previously Sq.).
- Whereas Bitmain dominates mining chip manufacturing, Intel and different mainstream companies are actually getting concerned.
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Semiconductor big Intel has introduced a brand new cryptocurrency mining chip, in accordance with a press release revealed Apr. 4.
Intel Introduces Blockscale ASICs
Intel will roll out its line of application-specific built-in circuits (ASICs), branded “Blockscale,” over the course of this yr.
The road of chips is designed to mine Bitcoin and different cryptocurrencies based mostly on the SHA-256 algorithm.
The product will likely be shipped to blockchain mining companies together with Argo, Hive, and GRIID starting in Q3 2022. Jack Dorsey’s Block Inc. (previously Sq.) can be listed as a recipient.
Intel consultant Balaji Kanigicherla steered that mining is a rising trade, noting that “momentum round blockchain continues to construct.” Certainly, Bitcoin’s mining hash charge hit an all-time excessive of 248 million terahashes per second (TH/s) this February.
Kanigicherla added that Intel’s chips purpose to supply an “optimum stability” between excessive hash charge and environment friendly vitality consumption. The units will obtain hashrates as excessive as 580 gigahashes per second and use as little energy as 26 joules per terahash.
Intel has been engaged on ASICs for a while. The corporate first filed patents associated to the expertise in 2018. It additionally mentioned a line of chips referred to as “Bonanza Mine” throughout a convention this yr.
Extra Corporations Are Concerned In Mining
Bitmain, a China-based firm energetic since 2013, has traditionally dominated the mining chip trade. Estimates from 2018 counsel the agency is liable for 75% of all mining gear.
Different firms like Canaan Inventive and Bitfury additionally gained prominence within the mining chip trade early in its existence.
Nevertheless, mainstream firms are actually rapidly shifting into mining chip manufacturing. Intel competitor Nvidia divided its product strains into gaming GPUs and crypto mining chips in early 2021. Intel responded to that transfer late final yr by stating that it might not restrict the hash charge of its GPUs, not like Nvidia.
Moreover, Samsung acknowledged that it manufactures ASICs for personal clients in 2018 however supplied few particulars.
Disclosure: On the time of writing, the creator of this piece owned BTC, ETH, and several other different cryptocurrencies.
