Intel Set to Launch Energy-Efficient Chip for Bitcoin Mining at ISSCC on February 23

Intel Senior Vice President Raja Koduri first hinted at the company’s intention to get into the Bitcoin mining space back in 2021.

Advertisement
By Shomik Sen Bhattacharjee | Updated: 19 January 2022 15:54 IST
Highlights
  • Intel's interest in developing bitcoin-related hardware dates to 2018
  • BTC has been plagued by concerns over its energy intense mining process
  • Intel's presentation is scheduled to take place on February 23
Intel Set to Launch Energy-Efficient Chip for Bitcoin Mining at ISSCC on February 23

Intel is finally read to make a bigger push into the world of cryptocurrency

Photo Credit: Reuters

Intel, the semiconductor manufacturing giant, could be making a bigger push into the world of cryptocurrency at the upcoming International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) next month where the company plans to present a new “Bonanza Mine chip” which is likely an energy-efficient Bitcoin ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit) geared towards mining. There's little information to go on thus far, but Intel has a slot scheduled under the Highlighted Chip Releases category for February 23, as per a docket with presentations scheduled to take place from offices in Hillsborough, Santa Clara and San Diego, California.

It is not clear whether Intel will present a viable product or simply unveil a prototype chip. As pointed out in a report by Tom's Hardware, Intel has been working on its entry into the Bitcoin market for quite a while. In 2018, the US Patent and Trademark Office awarded the chip giant a patent for efficiently mining cryptocurrencies that use the SHA-256 algorithm. Intel also disclosed a small stake in leading cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase in August 2021.

Unlike CPUs or GPUs which are geared towards a host of use-cases, ASIC is a type of chip designed for a specific type of task — in this case, Bitcoin mining. They do only one job, but they're supposed to be specifically good at it.

Often, graphics cards or GPUs are the chips associated with mining cryptocurrency. In fact, many attribute the ongoing GPU shortage, in part, to Ethereum mining, as the cards sell out before any regular users can get their hands on them. However, for now, Intel's specialised mining chip labelled Bonanza Mine wouldn't offer a solution to that problem as the ASIC is only geared towards Bitcoin mining.

Advertisement

Raja Koduri, Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Accelerated Computing Systems and Graphics (AXG) Group at Intel, said in an interview last month that being able to do much more efficient blockchain validation at a much lower cost with much less power is a solvable problem. “And that's not a GPU thing, so don't try to confuse that as a GPU thing. GPUs will do graphics, gaming, and all those wonderful things,” Koduri stated. "We are working on that, and at some point, in time, hopefully not too far into the future, we will kind of share some interesting hardware for that," he added.

That said, Intel will face stiff competition from Bitmain and MicroBT, the world's largest manufacturers of Bitcoin mining hardware.


Interested in cryptocurrency? We discuss all things crypto with WazirX CEO Nischal Shetty and WeekendInvesting founder Alok Jain on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.
 

Also seeCryptocurrency Prices across Indian exchanges

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.

Advertisement

Related Stories

Popular Mobile Brands
  1. Vivo X200 FE Launched in India With 6,500mAh Battery, Compact Design
  2. OnePlus 13 Series Gets AI-Powered Plus Mind Feature With Latest Update
  3. Amazon Prime Day Sale 2025 Highlights: Top Last-Minute Deals on Day 3
  4. Realme 15 Pro 5G to Get 50-Megapixel Sony IMX896 Main Rear Camera
  5. Samsung Galaxy F36 5G to Launch Soon in India: Details
  6. Grok Will Now Let You Chat With a Goth Anime Girl That Has an NSFW Mode
  7. Realme 15 Pro 5G Display, Battery Details Confirmed Ahead of India Launch
  8. Tesla Officially Enters India With the Launch of Tesla Model Y: See Price
  1. Realme 15 Pro 5G to Get 50-Megapixel Sony IMX896 Main Rear Camera
  2. Elon Musk’s Grok Adds AI Companion Feature That Includes an NSFW Mode for Animated Avatars
  3. Oppo K13 Turbo, K13 Turbo Pro Design, Colour Options Revealed Ahead of July 21 Launch
  4. Tesla Model Y Price in India Announced; Tesla App for iOS Available to Download
  5. iPhone 17 Components Arrive in India; Mass Production Expected to Begin in August: Report
  6. Vivo Y50 5G, Vivo Y50m 5G Appear on China Telecom Site With MediaTek Dimensity 6300 SoC, 6,000mAh Battery
  7. Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold Said to Get Larger Battery, Faster Charging and Bigger Cover Display
  8. Nothing Phone 3 and Headphone 1 Sale in India Begins Today: Price, Offers
  9. OnePlus 13 Series Update Brings Plus Mind Feature for Quickly Storing Information in Mind Space
  10. Earth’s Spin to Speed Up Briefly, Causing Shorter Days This Summer
Gadgets 360 is available in
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2025. All rights reserved.