Intel’s Bitcoin-Mining Chips Return From the Dead
Remember Intel’s short-lived Blockscale chips? Thought they were gone? Think again.
256,000 Intel Bonanza Mine ASICs — once shelved after Intel quit mining in 2023 — are being given away for free by Jack Dorsey’s Block. They’ll be distributed to open-hardware projects and DIY miners.
Key Details:
Specs: ~0.3 TH/s per chip, efficiency ~29 J/TH at low voltage.
Aggregate potential: 76 PH/s across the batch.
Recipients: 4 U.S. open-source hardware projects, each with 54,000 chips.
Use cases: not just mining — also heating homes, pools, 3D printers, even off-grid energy capture.
Speculation & Implications:
Open-source access could break Bitmain’s monopoly and spark a new wave of DIY + decentralized mining innovation.
Heat-reuse potential = real-world applications beyond pure Bitcoin mining.
Could catalyze a shift toward community-driven mining hardware ecosystems, challenging closed, profit-protected giants.
Intel’s abandoned silicon may become the seed of a more open, flexible mining future — and that could reshape Bitcoin’s hardware landscape. Don’t ignore this “free” revolution.
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