Intel to Unveil ‘Ultra Low-Voltage Bitcoin Mining ASIC’ in February

Intel, one of the world’s largest chipmakers, is likely to unveil a specialized crypto-mining chip at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) in February, according to the conference’s agenda.

One of Intel’s “Highlighted Chip Releases” at the conference is entitled “Bonanza Mine: An Ultra-Low-Voltage Energy-Efficient Bitcoin Mining ASIC.” The session is scheduled for Feb. 23.This brings the company into direct competition with the likes of Bitmain and MicroBT in the market for bitcoin mining ASICs, or application-specific integrated circuits, for the first time.Crypto mining has in the past driven up demand and prices for graphics processing units, including Intel’s, so much so that it attracted the ire of gamers. Unlike its competitor Nvidia, Intel has said it doesn’t plan to add ether mining limits on its graphics cards.