- Intel is to unveil an ultra-low voltage ASIC chip at a conference next month
- ASIC chips are housed in fan-cooled units to mine cryptocurrencies
- The Intel ASIC chip is the latest example of the industry going greener
Intel is to unveil an ultra-low voltage ASIC chip as the push to take Bitcoin mining green gathers pace. Two days before the Energy and Commerce Committee meets in Washington to discuss the carbon footprint of cryptocurrency mining, it was revealed that Intel will unveil the new chip at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) next month. ASIC chips are specially designed to mine cryptocurrency and are housed in fan-cooled unit, and a kind of arms race has sprung up between major chip manufacturers to capture the growing market of cryptocurrency mining.
Intel Keeps ASIC Details Under Wraps
Intel hasn’t made an announcement over the new chip, which of course it will unveil at the conference, but a release of the itinerary for the event shows one of Intel’s “highlighted chip releases” is called “Bonanza Mine: An Ultra-Low-Voltage Energy-Efficient Bitcoin Mining ASIC.”
No information on the new Intel ASIC chip has been leaked ahead of the conference so we have no data to get our teeth into, meaning we have to wait for February 23rd to learn about the hashrate, power consumption, and system optimization.
Bitcoin Mining Green Revolution Gathers Pace
Intel won’t be the first household name to step into the ASIC chip making ring – Samsung confirmed in 2018 that it was making ASIC chips for Squire – and it will enter a field dominated by the likes of Bitmain.
However, with environmental issues still the talk of the Bitcoin town, especially with the congressional hearing coming up this week, the production of a genuinely low voltage ASIC mining chip from Intel could be the tonic the Bitcoin mining space needs to show that it is pushing environmental reforms.
