• Advertise
  • Submit a Press Release
NewsBTC
Bitcoin & cryptocurrency news today, price & technical analysis
Price & Market
Cap Data from
Nomics Logo
  • News
    • Bitcoin
    • Ethereum
    • Ripple
    • Cardano
    • Tezos
    • EOS
    • Chainlink
    • Sponsored
    • Press Releases
  • Analysis
    • Bitcoin (BTC)
    • Ethereum (ETH)
    • Cardano (ADA)
    • Chainlink (LINK)
    • Litecoin (LTC)
    • Tezos (XTZ)
    • Zcash (ZEC)
    • EOS
    • YearnFinance (YFI)
  • Education
    • Accepting Bitcoin payments
    • Using Bitcoin
    • What is Bitcoin Mining
    • How to Trade Bitcoin
    • How to Buy Bitcoin
    • Digital Currency Exchange
    • Proof of Existence
    • Is Bitcoin legal?
    • Bitcoin Books
  • Trading Course
  • Directory
    • Crypto Businesses
    • Bitcoin Brokers
    • Casinos
    • Sportsbooks
  • TradeeToro
  • Gamble +Try
  • Play GamesTry
No Result
View All Result
  • News
    • Bitcoin
    • Ethereum
    • Ripple
    • Cardano
    • Tezos
    • EOS
    • Chainlink
    • Sponsored
    • Press Releases
  • Analysis
    • Bitcoin (BTC)
    • Ethereum (ETH)
    • Cardano (ADA)
    • Chainlink (LINK)
    • Litecoin (LTC)
    • Tezos (XTZ)
    • Zcash (ZEC)
    • EOS
    • YearnFinance (YFI)
  • Education
    • Accepting Bitcoin payments
    • Using Bitcoin
    • What is Bitcoin Mining
    • How to Trade Bitcoin
    • How to Buy Bitcoin
    • Digital Currency Exchange
    • Proof of Existence
    • Is Bitcoin legal?
    • Bitcoin Books
  • Trading Course
  • Directory
    • Crypto Businesses
    • Bitcoin Brokers
    • Casinos
    • Sportsbooks
  • TradeeToro
  • Gamble +Try
  • Play GamesTry
No Result
View All Result
NewsBTC
No Result
View All Result
Price & Market
Cap Data from
Nomics Logo
Home Cryptocurrency news Bitcoin

Bitmain’s AntPool Activates Controversial AsicBoost for Faster Bitcoin Mining

Cole Petersen by Cole Petersen
2 years ago
in Bitcoin
Reading Time: 3min read
ASICS
Advertisement
Listen to Article

Bitmain’s mining pool, AntPool, has supposedly activated one of their controversial methods of mining Bitcoin more efficiently, called AsicBoost. The controversial Bitcoin mining “hack” supposedly increases mining efficiency by up to 20% and is controversial because many developers claim that its use damages the Bitcoin network.

Weakness in Bitcoin PoW Exploited

According to AsicBoost Block Explorer, block #540032, mined by AntPool, was mined using the AsicBoost, which exploits a previously known weakness in Bitcoin’s proof-of-work algorithm that allows for faster mining. Bitmain notably holds a patent in China for a system that exploits the Bitcoin network’s weakness in order to increase mining productivity.

The patent, which describes an “optimizing method,” details a system that uses a “device and circuit for Hash computing chip of bitcoin proof of work, and relates to the technical field of cipher computing, computer network and integrated circuits.”

5 BTC + 300 Free Spins for new players & 15 BTC + 35.000 Free Spins every month, only at mBitcasino. Play Now!

The patent abstract also notes that the “The method, device and circuit provided by the invention greatly reduce the power consumption of the circuit.”

Bitmain has a history of using AsicBoost and has been accused several times over the past year of utilizing the controversial mining method. Blockstream CTO, Greg Maxwell, was one of the first to call Bitmain out for using AsicBoost, accusing the them of using the method to increase profits.

Bitmain Denies use of AsicBoost

In the past year, Bitmain has ardently denied their use of the “mathematical workaround,” expressing that they have never used the technology before. Following the controversy that followed Maxwell’s accusations, Bitmain released a statement, saying in part that:

“Bitmain has tested ASICBOOST on the Testnet but has never used ASICBOOST on the mainnet as implied in Gregory Maxwell’s proposal. We ask conclusive proof from whoever claims this to be false because such baseless claims are toxic for the Bitcoin space. We also believe the math used by Gregory Maxwell is incorrect and that the method is not practical in a production environment.”

Bitmain also addressed the Chinese patent they hold on a system that utilizes AsicBoost, saying that:

“Bitmain holds the ASICBOOST patent in China. We can legally use it in our own mining farms in China to profit from it and sell the cloud mining contracts to the public. This, however profitable, is not something we would do for the greater good of Bitcoin.”

Possible AsicBoost use comes as Bitmain is Reportedly Losing Money

Bitmain has yet to release any statements regarding AntPool’s potential use of AsicBoost, but the use of this mining method would coincide with a recent BitMEX Research report that claimed that the mining giant is bleeding money due to low cryptocurrency prices and increased operational costs.

BitMEX Research also concludes that the sharp decline in mining revenue is partially a strategic decision, explaining that:

“We believe this decline represents a smart strategic decision by Bitmain to divest (relatively speaking), from an increasingly competitive and lower margin area. In our view, as one moves down the mining supply chain, the competition is likely to increase faster and Bitmain made a sensible move by trying to focus their efforts up the chain, where an increasingly large proportion of the value from mining may accrue.”

Although unconfirmed, it would make sense that Bitmain is utilizing the AsicBoost mining method in an effort to increase efficiency and profitability while still driving their competition’s profits into the ground.

Featured image from Shutterstock
Tags: ASICAsicBoostbitcoinBitmainmining
TweetShare
Nexo Logo
BitStarz Player Lands $2,459,124 Record Win! Could you be next big winner? Win up to $1,000,000 in One Spin at CryptoSlots
Cole Petersen

Cole Petersen

Cole is a cryptocurrency analyst based in Los Angeles. He studied at the University of California Irvine and has been interested in Bitcoin and the crypto markets since 2013.

Related Posts

Saylor: Institutional Interest in Bitcoin is Bigger Than You Think

Saylor: Institutional Interest in Bitcoin is Bigger Than You Think

9 hours ago
3 Things Bitcoin Traders Should Watch in FOMC’s First Meeting of 2021

3 Things Bitcoin Traders Should Watch in FOMC’s First Meeting of 2021

11 hours ago
Bitcoin, cryptocurrency, BTCUSD, BTCUSDT

Trouble for Bitcoin as 3 On-Chain Indicators Point to Potential Sell-Offs

1 day ago
Bitcoin, cryptocurrency, BTCUSD, BTCUSDT

Severe Liquidity Shock Ahead for Bitcoin Market, Warns JPMorgan

1 day ago
Bitcoin Heads Towards $35,000 as Biden Stimulus Hurts US Dollar

Bitcoin Heads Towards $35,000 as Biden Stimulus Hurts US Dollar

2 days ago
MicroStrategy Boss: No-One Can Take Your Bitcoin, Not Even The Taxman

MicroStrategy Boss: No-One Can Take Your Bitcoin, Not Even The Taxman

2 days ago

Premium Partners

Top Brokers

eToro

eToro

Review · Visit
Evolve Markets

Evolve Markets

Review · Visit
ArbiSmart

ArbiSmart

Review · Visit
PrimeXBT

PrimeXBT

Review · Visit
Moneta Markets

Moneta Markets

Review · Visit

Top Casinos

BitStarz

BitStarz

Review · Visit
CryptoSlots

CryptoSlots

Review · Visit
mBit

mBit

Review · Visit
CryptoGames

CryptoGames

Review · Visit
Bonusfinder DE

Bonusfinder DE

Review · Visit
Bspin

Bspin

Review · Visit
Wolf Bet

Wolf Bet

Review · Visit

Top Sportsbooks

1xBit

1xBit

Review · Visit

Press Releases

FEB Inc. Announces a New Service, Cost-Effective PR Media Packages for East Asian Markets

January 27, 2021

Hodlnaut Partners with Crowe Singapore to Perform Independent Verification of US$106 Million of CryptoAssets

January 27, 2021

Helio Lending Pivots into Becoming a CeFi Aggregator

January 27, 2021

Newsletter Signup


ABOUT US

NewsBTC is a cryptocurrency news service that covers bitcoin news today, technical analysis & forecasts for bitcoin price and other altcoins. Here at NewsBTC, we are dedicated to enlightening everyone about bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.

We cover BTC news related to bitcoin exchanges, bitcoin mining and price forecasts for various cryptocurrencies.

COMPANY

  • Advertising
  • Comments Policy
  • Privacy Center
  • Sitemap
  • About Us
  • Contact

Technical Analysis

  • Bitcoin (BTC)
  • Ethereum (ETH)
  • Ripple (XRP)
  • Chainlink (LINK)
  • Cardano (ADA)
  • Tezos (XTZ)

LINKS

Auto Trading Software ▸

Cryptocurrency news

  • Bitcoin
  • Ethereum
  • Ripple
  • Chainlink
  • Cardano
  • EOS
  • Tezos

© 2020 NewsBTC. All Rights Reserved.

  • News
    • Bitcoin
    • Ethereum
    • Ripple
    • Cardano
    • Tezos
    • EOS
    • Chainlink
    • Sponsored
    • Press Releases
  • Analysis
    • Bitcoin (BTC)
    • Ethereum (ETH)
    • Cardano (ADA)
    • Chainlink (LINK)
    • Litecoin (LTC)
    • Tezos (XTZ)
    • Zcash (ZEC)
    • EOS
    • YearnFinance (YFI)
  • Education
    • Accepting Bitcoin payments
    • Using Bitcoin
    • What is Bitcoin Mining
    • How to Trade Bitcoin
    • How to Buy Bitcoin
    • Digital Currency Exchange
    • Proof of Existence
    • Is Bitcoin legal?
    • Bitcoin Books
  • Trading Course
  • Directory
    • Crypto Businesses
    • Bitcoin Brokers
    • Casinos
    • Sportsbooks
  • Trade
  • Gamble +
  • Play Games

© 2020 NewsBTC. All Rights Reserved.

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy Center or Cookie Policy.