Intel does not want to miss out on the potential computer revolution opened up by the blockchain. The company unveiled a chip on February 11, described as a ” blockchain accelerator ». The first will be delivered in 2022.
The enticing energy performance of this new chip
Jack Dorsey’s company, which specializes in blockchain-related technologies, as its name suggests, Block, will be one of the first to get Intel’s new chip.
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If the co-founder of Twitter jumped at the chance it’s because the promise of this chip, ” blockchain accelerator promises to address one of the most worrying issues with bitcoin mining: its environmental impact.
Raja Koduri, senior vice president of Intel, expects that our circuit innovations deliver a blockchain accelerator that performs more than 1000 times better per watt than consumer GPUs for SHA-256-based mining “.
The SHA-256 hash algorithm is the one used to generate bitcoin and a number of other cryptocurrencies. Intel’s promise is therefore enticing for professionals in the sector, who have to deal with the gradual introduction of regulations to regulate mining and others.
The expected performance of Intel’s chip may be able to reassure lawmakers around the world. Since the ban on mining and cryptocurrency exchanges in China, officially for environmental reasons, but not only, lawmakers in the United States and the European Union are also considering restrictions.
More to come, Intel promises
Intel promises to give more information on its new chip at the international conference on semiconductor circuits. It will start on February 20. The presentation of the American giant will probably be eagerly awaited by the participants.
Through the voice of Raja Koduri, Intel demonstrates that it intends to sustainably strengthen its presence in the blockchain sector. The company announced the creation of a segment to support research in the field and others, named the Custom Compute Group, within its Accelerated Computing Systems and Graphics business unit.