https://forums.butterflylabs.com/content/127-bfl-asic-delays-depth-expanation.html?postid=8237#comments_8237BFL ASIC Delays - An In-Depth Explanation
Anticipation is running high at Butterfly Labs in advance of receipt of our chips from the foundry. The production of these very dense, hand-routed chips are the reason for the delay in the latest line of bitcoin mining machines. Unlike our competitors, Butterfly Labs ASIC chips are 100% custom. Producing custom chips requires foundry scheduling and forces us into the queue with other chip developers (from all industries). The design is complete. It’s just a matter of waiting for production and delivery. The boards, enclosures, and assembly teams are standing by, anxiously awaiting delivery of the chips so we can begin assembly and start shipping.
Our competitors are facing worse challenges.
Recent posts from the bASIC and Avalon groups have outlined redesign plans and delays for their chip and board. When a road map doesn't exist, let alone a trail to follow, it can create situations that require extra time to develop solutions throughout the development process. Butterfly Labs has been down this road before and we anticipated, long ago, the issues that bASIC is now facing. The reality is, this technology does not exist anywhere else in the world. It's not as though you can go to a big box electronics retailer and buy this technology off of the shelf.
The ASIC miners are revolutionary machines that will render most, if not all, graphics card miners ineffective and cost prohibitive. ASIC miners will not be eclipsed as quickly and significantly as their predecessor, the FPGA units. They are meant to be a long-term investment. Their performance should be sustained for at least two years and potentially as many as five years. That is not to say that there won't be improvements over the next few years; there will be. The improvements just won't be the night and day difference of the ASIC vs. FPGA technologies.
Butterfly Labs is committed to offering products and solutions that will enable bitcoin miners to remain competitive. That is why we have an upgrade program for all of its FPGA customers to be able to receive 100 percent trade-in value towards a new Single SC or Mini Rig SC. Nowhere in the world can you find that kind of offer. It's similar to buying a high performance car one day and then after six months going back to the dealer and asking for 100 percent of what you paid towards a new, even higher performance car. It is unprecedented, to say the least.
So let us repeat - The only uncertainty left is the exact date in January our 100% custom BFL ASIC chips will arrive at our facility. And we’re getting closer to knowing that exact date now.
For the latest information visit Jody's Customer Service Blog, and more, please visit our new BFL
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