Image Credits: Intel
The Intel Blockchain Accelerator is the company’s first specialized processor developed for cryptocurrency mining. On workloads such as SHA-256 mining, Intel claims that their unique chip can provide 1000x greater performance per watt than conventional GPUs.
Intel Blockchain Accelerator Chipset
At the next Solid-State Circuit Conference, Intel will reveal further details about the Intel Blockchain Accelerator processor (ISSCC).
It should be noted that SHA-256 mining is not done on consumer-grade GPUs, but rather on ASICs (custom-made chips) that are particularly built for mining a certain cryptocurrency.
Different mining techniques are used by cryptocurrencies such as Ethereum. This implies that the next Intel Blockchain Accelerator Chip may be unable to mine some of the most popular coins.
One of the biggest problems with current ASICs is that they waste a lot of power when mining and Intel appears to be solving that problem with their future bespoke processor for blockchain-specific applications. Customers for their future blockchain accelerator chip will include Argo Blockchain, BLOCK (previously known as Square), and GRIID Infrastructure.
The Intel Blockchain Accelerator Chip will be available later this year, and Intel will sell them directly to partner businesses that appear to have similar sustainability aims as Intel.
According to Intel, these chips are meant to reduce mining’s energy usage, and clients have been requesting Intel for “scalable and sustainable solutions” to replace standard mining GPUs with custom-made blockchain accelerated processors.
Intel is launching an ultra-low-voltage, energy-efficient #blockchain accelerator chip, expected to perform over 1000x better per watt than GPUs for SHA-256 based mining, that starts shipping later this year.
https://t.co/Xfc1pbpJGc— Intel News (@intelnews) February 11, 2022
Within Intel’s Accelerated Computing Systems and Graphics division, a new internal organization dubbed Custom Computer Group has been founded. This group will be responsible for designing and creating bespoke chips capable of handling workloads such as blockchains and another accelerated supercomputing potential.
Intel has also stated that the Blockchain Accelerator Chip is implemented on a tiny piece of silicon that has no impact on the performance of regular computer processors such as CPU and GPU.
The business is believed to have spent more than a decade building the proprietary Blockchain Accelerator Chip, which employs “reliable cryptography, hashing algorithms, and ultra-low voltage circuits.”
Conclusion: Will it be worthwhile to purchase?
The Intel Blockchain Accelerator Chip appears to be a supercomputer designed for large-scale crypto-mining while using the least amount of energy. This implies that the chip may not be offered to retail customers and will instead be delivered to partners.
Given that companies like Intel are embracing crypto mining and developing specialized hardware, the cryptocurrency appears to be the future, with several real-world applications such as web 3.0.
