Intel Corporation has unveiled its new ASIC mining chip focused on energy efficiency.
The American company, one of the largest manufacturers of electrical circuits, has created a new chip to mine Bitcoin and some cryptocurrencies based on Proof of Work (PoW), such as Bitcoin Cash (BCH), a more efficient and more environmentally friendly activity.
Call for applications Intel Blockscale ASIC, the new mining chip will deliver up to 580 gigahashes per second (GH/s) of network computing power and up to 26 joules per terahash (J/TH) of power efficiency, Intel said. On a power level, the Intel Blockscale ASIC is 5,4% and 16,1% more efficient than Bitmain’s Antminer S19 Pro+ and MicrtoBT’s Whatsminer M30S++, which offer power efficiencies of 27,5 J/TH and 31 J/TH, respectively.
These new mining chips are part of Intel's plans to advance the development of technology blockchain in a sustainable and sustainable way. Although Patrick Gelsinger, CEO of Intel, has harshly criticized Bitcoin in the past, believes that blockchain technology, the underlying technology of Bitcoin, can provide great advantages as long as the climate impact is properly managed.
The first companies to adopt Intel's new mining chips will be Argo Blockchain, Block Inc., Hive Blockchain, and GRIID Infrastructure, which are among the largest Bitcoin miners in the industry. The first batches of these mining chips will begin shipping in the third quarter of 2022.
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Scalability, efficiency and sustainability
Intel's general manager of Blockchain and Business Solutions, Jose Rios, said the company's new mining chip will help Bitcoin mining companies become more energy efficient to achieve their sustainability and scalability goals. He said Intel is committed to creating an open and sustainable cryptocurrency ecosystem globally.
Intel vice president Balaji Kanigicherla said blockchain-based applications will be able to scale their computing power without compromising sustainability.
Customized systems
The new mining chip developed by Intel uses a Secure Hash Algorithm-256 ASIC processor (SHA-256) and can be combined, depending on the needs of each miner, to build more complex, powerful and efficient mining systems. According to Intel, the Intel Blockscale ASIC includes support for up to 256 integrated circuits per system. In addition, the company noted that these chips can be used in both air-cooled and immersion-cooled environments.
Analysts say this is a viable option for Bitcoin mining companies, which are facing a huge debate over the energy consumption of the blockchain network, which could attract more potential investors to this powerful and growing industry.
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