1

I understand that Bitcoin's ASICs are a highly optimized piece of equipment and, therefore, are also very specific.

My question: are they able to do a single (or triple?) SHA-256 hash at all? And, if so, how competitively would they be with versus a GPU?

|improve this question
3

A Bitcoin mining ASIC:

  • does not attempt to complete a single hash, rather fragments of two SHA256 compression rounds which is then compared to a target, the result is never returned
  • can not accept arbitrary information that is not in the form of a partial SHA256 compression round

So in terms of competitiveness, a CPU can actually complete a SHA256 hash, a mining ASIC can not, which I suppose puts it ahead in this arbitrary race.

|improve this answer
  • Thank, you. However, let's assume I create a (educational) Blockchain that uses single/triple SHA256. Your answers left some doubt in me as to whether the ASICs would have an advantage or not. – Tiago Loriato Simões Feb 18 at 4:18
  • 1
    No, you couldn’t do that with modern ASICS. – Anonymous Feb 18 at 4:19

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.