ASIC chips for mining

ASIC chip manufacturers are constantly improving the technological process. Due to the growing complexity of top coin networks, it is necessary to produce more and more powerful devices. Bitmain has staked on improving quality and increasing hash rate. At the same time, the new models are equipped with a small number of chips (AntMiner L3 has 144 chips, AntMiner L3+ has 288 chips). This affects the energy efficiency of the equipment and maintainability (fewer parts need to be checked and replaced in case of failure).

The Chinese company Canaan owns 25% of the world production of asics. In a highly competitive environment, the developers maintain their leadership position by constantly improving the equipment.

Avalonminer A911 and A9, equipped with 7 nm chips, became a technological breakthrough. In 2018, such chips worked only in GMO miners. Canaan’s asics were popular because of their high hash rate.

In 2023, Canaan is focused on producing chips for Bitcoin mining. Since 2020, the company has been developing and testing 5nm chips for asics. In 2021, Canaan launched its first mining farm in Kazakhstan and opened a service center outside of China.

How technology has changed

The first miners based on integrated circuits were produced by BFL. The Jalapenos, SC Singles, SC MiniRigs models became available in 2012. Bitcoin mining efficiency on them was 20-50 times higher than on GPUs. In 2013-2015, a technological breakthrough was the transition from 55nm to 28nm chip manufacturing process. Later, devices with 20nm technology appeared (Uranus v1 Miner, SMART Miner 2.0 SE).

In 2016, Bitmain released the Antminer S9 on 16nm microprocessors. The model was popular during the market growth period in 2017. It allowed the company to become a leader in the production of mining equipment and reach the capitalization of billions of dollars.

With the increasing complexity of blockchains, more technologically advanced solutions for mining digital currencies were required. In 2018-2019, Bitmain, GTO, Samsung, Apple, Huawei, AMD, Qualcomm announced 7-7.5nm and 5nm development. The development of the microprocessor industry has allowed for the release of more energy efficient and powerful miners:

• Canaan Avalon miner A9.
• Bitmain Antminer S17.

In 2023, these models are still popular. However, miners are waiting for new devices on 5nm chips, which will consume half as much power compared to 7nm.

Bitmain has announced the launch of the next asics in Q3 2022. The company ordered new mining chips from TSMC back in 2020. But the launch had to be postponed due to a supply disruption. In June 2022, Samsung announced that it will start manufacturing 3nm chips for mining. It is reported that the new microprocessors will be made on the modern GAA (Gate-All-Around) technology with a specific transistor shape. The manufacturer expects to reduce the size of chips for asics by 45%, power consumption by 50% and increase performance by 30%.

Advantages and differences from GMO

In 2018, the company was the first to release asics on 7nm microprocessors, which consume significantly less power compared to others. The launch of GMO Miner B2 and B3 came during the bear phase of the market, when users’ interest in digital currencies waned.

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In 2018, Canon introduced the Avalonminer A9. In 2019, Bitmain Antminer S17 Pro and Antminer S17 on 7nm chips appeared. The table collects the comparative characteristics of the models.

GMO asics were inferior to more productive and energy-efficient models of competitors. The company invested $90 billion in developing new technology and launching a data center. However, the investments did not pay off. In the 4th quarter of 2019, GMO management reported a loss of $320 million. Due to the decline in the exchange rate of BTC, cryptocurrency mining even with the latest equipment became unprofitable. In 2020, the company was forced to announce the cessation of production.

How to deal with chip wear and tear

The manufacturer’s warranty for asics does not exceed 90 days. If the rules of operation are observed, the service life can be extended to 20-25 months. According to the experience of employees of service centers, the most common causes of premature wear of chips for mining are the following:

• Poor cooling. It is necessary to control the operating temperature of the board (no higher than 115 degrees). Overheating can lead to breakdowns of microprocessors. The farm should be installed in a well-ventilated room. Air conditioning or water cooling can be used. Radiators often fail due to mechanical breakdowns associated with the use of low-quality materials or work in dusty rooms.
• Untimely maintenance. It is necessary to change filters regularly. Due to a layer of dust on fan blades and heat sinks, cooling efficiency is reduced. This can lead to premature degradation of chips for mining. Cleaning should be done at least once every 3 months.

You can increase the working life of chips with the help of special firmware (for example, Hiveon ASIC). Faulty chips have a lower hash rate. At the same time they consume the same amount of power. Custom firmware reduces the power of worn chips. This allows you to maintain the performance of the asic when 10-30% of chips on the hash board fail. At the same time, the lifetime of the microprocessors is increased.

Hiveon firmware also serves as protection against viruses.

How to assemble an asic based on chips

Some users make ASIC with their own hands. To assemble a miner, you need electrical engineering skills and mounting equipment. A homemade asic will come out cheaper. It will be necessary to buy such components:

• Microchips. For the asic needs 70-600 chips. The price of each – 60-1500 rubles.
• Elements of the assembly (boards, power supply, fans, connectors, housing). Price – 15-20 thousand rubles.

The minimum cost will be 100-120 thousand rubles. Before assembling it is necessary to determine the dimensions of the miner, draw a wiring diagram of the hash board, calculate the profitability of the device. Making an asic is a labor-intensive process. The user must be well versed in electrical engineering, have a soldering station. Debugging boards takes from a few days to a month. You need to work quickly to have time to recoup your investment before the complexity of mining increases.

An effective hash board in 2-3 months will no longer bring income. Therefore, many miners prefer not to develop an integrated circuit, but to buy a ready-made one.

To assemble an ASIC, you need to:

1. Buy chips. You need to choose a cryptocurrency in advance. Chips work only on one algorithm.
2. Download or write a program for mining. ASIC manufacturers supply software to customers. If you build the software yourself, you can find it on resources like Github or write it yourself.
3. Install the cooling system. You need to choose fans and a case that will keep the temperature at 80-100 degrees. Overheating can lead to delamination.
4. Assemble the boards and components according to the wiring diagram.
5. Connect the power supply.

Summary

The most popular chips for ASICs in 2023 are BM1397, BM1383, BM1387. In Q3, Bitmain will release a new Antminer E9 (3Gh) on 5nm chips. The claimed performance of the miner is 3 GH/s. It will be the most powerful device for cryptocurrency mining. Therefore, the launch of the miner is generating interest among users around the world.

However, Samsung has developed an even higher performance chip – 3.5 nm. In April 2022, Intel showed a test sample of Blockscale ASIC for Bitcoin mining. The developers combined 256 chips in a small integrated circuit, obtaining a board performance of 148 TN/s at a consumption of 3800 W.

Experts predict that the miner will be popular in countries with cheap electricity. At the end of 2022, Intel will start supplying microprocessors to asic developers: Argo Blockchain, Hive Blockchain Technologies, Block, GRIID Infrastructure.

According to manufacturers’ calculations, with the beginning of sales of new ASICs, the complexity of networks will increase, previous models of miners will lose relevance. Therefore, the purchase of an asic should be approached with maximum responsibility.

Some users in order to save money collect the miners themselves. To create such technically complex equipment requires professional skills. It will take a lot of time to solder and debug chips. It is necessary to monitor frequency, performance, temperature and power consumption for several days. It can also be difficult to find the right components. Due to a shortage of parts, assembly will take 3-5 months. During this time, the complexity of blockchains will grow, the equipment will lose relevance. Therefore, beginner miners are better off buying a ready-made ASIC.

Frequently Asked Questions