Nvidia has announced that it will start limiting the efficiency of mining etherum or any other crypto using its new range of upcoming graphics processing units (GPUs).
In a blog post published on February 19, the American hardware manufacturer said that this restriction will first appear on its new Geforce RTX 3060 card, which will be published on February 25.
Nvidia has revealed that the new GPU software drivers are designed to detect specific features of the ether (ETH) mining algorithm, and limit the hash rate, or mining efficiency, by about 50%.
However, the software will not limit the efficiency of all crypto-mining activities, reports Itpro, “with the limitation only activated when processes use Dagger Hashimoto or Ethash-like algorithms.”
The Nasdaq listed company hopes that the restriction will discourage the purchase of game-oriented graphics cards for major mining operations. ETH is one of the few coins that can still be mined with graphics cards.
GPUs, used mainly in video game consoles, were reportedly in short supply due to the storage of ETH miners, the production constraints and the supply chain problems due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The prices have therefore risen.
“We are through and through gamers,” Nvidia stated. ‘We are passionate about new game features, new architectures, new games and technology. We have designed Geforce GPUs for gamers, and gamers want more, ‘he added.
However, Nvidia has revealed that it intends to manufacture GPUs specifically targeted at etherum miners called Cryptocurrency Mining Processor (CMP). The new miner, which will be released in March, will not “graphically” and “does not meet the specifications required by a Geforce GPU, and therefore does not affect the availability of Geforce GPUs for gamers.”
The firm stated that the CMP “does not have ‘display outputs’, which allows for improved airflow during mining so that it can be packed more tightly.’ CMPs also have a lower peak core voltage and frequency, which improves the efficiency of mining, he explained.
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