Bitmain releases ASICBoost firmware for Antminer S9
summary
Cryptocurrency mining company Bitmain recently released a firmware update for its Antminer S9 device. This firmware update allows Bitcoin miners to enable ‘Overt AsicBoost’, which helps save energy costs by approximately 13% compared to traditional Bitcoin mining setups.
This update makes Bitcoin miners happy. become profitable When competition increases and profit margins decrease.
Bitmain firmware enables explicit AsicBoost
AsicBoost was previously launched by Bitmain in March 2018. Support for AsicBoost remains only on BTC.com and Antpool. However, the hardware did not have firmware support from Bitmain.
Recently, Brian, the software development group that runs Slush Pool, has confirmed the presence of AsicBoost functionality in Bitmain’s Antminer S9 hardware. The company announced that it plans to release its own open source version of AsicBoost for use in Bitmain’s Antminer S9.
Shortly after Braiins’ statement, Bitmain released a firmware update. Recent Blogs.
According to their statement, the Antminer S9 hardware was able to support this apparent AsicBoost firmware. However, they never felt activated due to some patent-related uncertainties related to AsicBoost activation.
Now, with these firmware updates, Bitmain ensures that the hardware remains effective as you mine Bitcoin at faster speeds. hash rate And reduce energy costs.
As announced on the blog,
We are now pleased to offer Antminer users who have miners capable of supporting this feature the option to take advantage of these benefits without negatively impacting the Bitcoin protocol. This ‘apparent AsicBoost’ variant simply uses a different version bit than what other manufacturers have been using. It is equally transparent as it can be seen in the block header of the boosted block.
Bitmain plans to enable the public AsicBoost firmware on other hardware devices, such as the Antminer R4, S9i, S9j, T9, and T9+, within a week or so.
What is Apparent ASICBoost?
AsicBoost is a technology used in ASIC chips used in cryptocurrency mining hardware to efficiently mine Bitcoin.
With AsicBoost, these ASIC chips allow Bitcoin miners to find valid blocks much faster than other methods.
AsicBoost was previously patented by Timo Hanke, CTO of CoinTerra, and Sergio Demián Lerner, chief scientist at RSK.
According to Blockchain defense patent license (BDPL) has an agreement that requires it to make certain blockchain technology available to other companies covered by this agreement.
Bitmain’s patent related to AsicBoost
Due to patent issues, Bitmain has not released AsicBoost firmware for Antminer S9 devices.
However, as explained by the legal department, there is no specific claim that the firmware is protected by patents.
Regarding the patent for apparent AsicBoost, the company said:
With regard to patent rights, we continue to respect and act upon the intellectual property rights of third parties. Based on legal opinions in various jurisdictions, we believe that there are no patent rights to AsicBoost and that there may never be any in the future. Therefore, all miners should have the right to make their own choices without having a monopoly on ASICBoost technology.
And finally, Bitmain decided to activate the firmware.
Controversy surrounding ASIC Boost
Well, there was some controversy. Bitmain’s Covert use of ASICBoost. According to the accusation, Bitmain was privately using this technology to mine Bitcoin using devices without this firmware.
later, SegWit A soft fork upgrade has been released that makes it much more difficult for Bitmain or any other company to use AsicBoost covertly.
The agency denied all charges, but the controversy was never dismissed.
Where can I find Overt AsicBoost firmware?
Now that Bitmain has released and activated the Overt Asicboost firmware update,
The firmware can be downloaded here. https://service.bitmain.com/support/download.
