Path: csiph.com!v102.xanadu-bbs.net!xanadu-bbs.net!feeder.erje.net!eu.feeder.erje.net!weretis.net!feeder1.news.weretis.net!news.solani.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail From: RS Wood Newsgroups: comp.misc Subject: Re: Using supercomputers for crypto-coin mining Date: Sat, 22 Feb 2014 12:09:28 +0000 (UTC) Organization: solani.org Lines: 36 Message-ID: References: Reply-To: randy@therandymon.com X-Trace: solani.org 1393070968 29555 eJwNwYkBwCAIA8CVwJBgx8GH/Uewd4RcO0NUsNlltfv2OhBXHCtcwUsfxkK6pixnVHhy/PgAKjMQXg== (22 Feb 2014 12:09:28 GMT) X-Complaints-To: abuse@news.solani.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Sat, 22 Feb 2014 12:09:28 +0000 (UTC) User-Agent: slrn/1.0.1 (Linux) X-User-ID: eJwFwQERACAIA8BKItvQOAhH/wj+02WqgChwOOjaE7q+hk7r1Sax1fCLyhOzDSeDBb309wENVRCl Cancel-Lock: sha1:KVNC0STI546INpJzhC+rGqEy+UM= X-NNTP-Posting-Host: eJwNxMERwDAIA7CZiGPHrAMc+4/Q6iFCoX5X1OVyT7nedDoW7gxPwBwhXbZKPev9h04Q+QEZmxDL Xref: csiph.com comp.misc:695 On 2014-02-22, wjwlsn wrote: > It apparently takes a lot of work to mine for crypto-currencies like > BitCoin, or my personal fave, DogeCoin. It's actually so much work now > that using general purpose CPUs is completely fruitless, and even > GPU-based mining is falling out of favour. However, what if you had > access to a supercomputer? You could buy your own for around $45k: > > "http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Cray-XD1-Supercomputer-System-5-Chassis-Rack-60-x-Opteron-2-2GHz-Super-Computer-/191068522653?pt=US_Vintage_Computers_Mainframes&hash=item2c7c92489d" > > The problem with that option, beyond the initial cost, will be the > expense of actually running and maintaining the thing. (Do you have > spare parts for a Cray just laying around?) Instead, what if you could > just "borrow" somebody else's supercomputer for a while? They're > already paying for it anyway, right? They probably won't even notice! > > "http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/02/harvard-supercomputing-cluster-hijacked-to-produce-alt-cryptocurrency/" > > Or maybe they will... uh oh. > > -- Now frequenting comp.misc daily in a prolonged fit of netstalgia. > This is maybe the equivalent of using the office computer over the weekend to download a bunch of torrents - the machine wasn't being used and the network is paid for so it's not exactly an additional expense. I still wouldn't buy any special hardware to mine bitcoins or whatever because I strongly suspect the whole house of cards is going to come tumbling down. Wouldn't mind the excuse to go play with a supercomputer for a bit though, although I'd be embarrassed to say what I was doing. "Calculating launch trajectories for satellites?" "Uh, no. generating a fictitious currency."