Nvidia announced that it will limit the efficiency of mining Ethereum or other crypto with the help of its new line of new graphics processors (GPUs).
In a blog post published on February 19, the US hardware maker said this restriction will first be used on its new Geforce RTX 3060 card, which is slated to be released on February 25.
Nvidia announced that the new GPU software drivers will recognize certain attributes of the Ether Mining Algorithm (ETH) and limit the hash rate or the efficiency of cryptocurrency mining by around 50%.
However, the software will not limit the efficiency of any crypto mining activity, Itpro reported: “The limiter will only be activated when processes use Dolch-Hashimoto or Ethash-like algorithms.”
The Nasdaq-listed company hopes the restriction will hinder the purchase of game-oriented graphics cards for large Ethereum mining operations. The ETH is one of the few coins that can still be mined with graphics cards.
GPUs, mainly used in video game consoles, have reportedly been in short supply due to hoarding by ETH miners, manufacturing restrictions and supply chain issues as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. As a result, prices have increased.
“We are gamers through and through,” said Nvidia. “We are obsessed with new game features, new architectures, new games and technologies. We made Geforce GPUs for gamers, and gamers ask for more, ”he added.
However, Nvidia announced that it plans to produce GPUs specifically targeted at Ethereum miners, known as the Cryptocurrency Mining Processor (CMP). The new mining processor, which is to be released in March, will not create any “graphics” and “will not meet the specifications required for a Geforce GPU and thus not affect the availability of Geforce GPUs for gamers”.
The company stated that the CMP “lacks display capabilities, which allows for improved airflow during mining so they can be packed more densely.” CMPs also have lower peak core voltage and frequency, which improves mining energy efficiency, he explained.
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