Nvidia Redesigns Graphics Cards to Limit Their Use in Ethereum Mining
Nvidia is also launching Cryptocurrency Mining Processors (CMP) specifically for Ethereum miners.
Feb 18, 2021 at 3:30 p.m. UTCUpdated Aug 19, 2021 at 7:21 a.m. UTC
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Nvidia has announced new efforts to ensure its graphics cards "end up in the hands of gamers" instead of cryptocurrency miners.
- Nvidia's RTX 3060 software drivers are "designed to detect specific attributes of the Ethereum cryptocurrency mining algorithm," per a blog post by Nvidia's VP of global GeForce marketing, Matt Wuebbling.
- "Users are constantly discovering new applications for [Nvidia GPUs]," the post says. "Mining cryptocurrency is one of them."
- But Ethereum miners' strong demand for new GPUs has caused a shortage in supply, and gamers are not happy.
- The news comes as Nvidia RTX 30-series GPUs, first released last fall, were spotted in mining farms.
- If it detects mining activity, RTX 3060 drivers will limit its hashrate by around 50%.
- The technology giant still plans to serve Ethereum miners, though. With the new Cryptocurrency Mining Processor (CMP), Nvidia is offering a professional mining-specific product that doesn't "do graphics," per the post, a move it first announced last month.
- Thus, CMPs will not impact the availability of GPUs for gamers, Nvidia says.
- Much of the company's GPU revenue during the last bull market may have also come from crypto miners, rather than gamers.
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