[CLOSED] BOUNTY: BFL SC die size (20BTC) and process node (20BTC)

[scrybe]

0nm

I win.

Perhaps -1 nm.

Or sqrt(-1) if you think BFL is creating imaginary ASICS...

I'm sticking with 24mm^2 at .065 micron.

[Bogart]

A source tells me that the Bitcoin Magazine article alludes to a 45nm or smaller process.

Not very concrete.

[MrTeal]

I can't believe there hasn't been someone who's claimed this yet.

[scrybe]

I can't believe there hasn't been someone who's claimed this yet.

It's simple, those that know have an NDA.
(I've seen several of these for contract positions that have penalties that can actually add up to several times the wages paid for the contract if the NDA is violated. So non-disclosure gets kept (and the consultant gets paid a premium for keeping his mouth shut.))

Until official release we are unlikely to get confirmation.

[MrTeal]

The information is apparently in Bitcoin Magazine, and subscribers have reported getting the magazine already. A quick readthrough and post is worth 40BTC.

[gmaxwell]

It's simple, those that know have an NDA.

Or they are honorable people who value the trust and respect gained from not breaching confidentiality for some minor prize even absent a formal contract.

[scrybe]

It's simple, those that know have an NDA.

Or they are honorable people who value the trust and respect gained from not breaching confidentiality for some minor prize even absent a formal contract.

Potentially true, but since they have investors I'm pretty sure they would insist on having any commitments like that spelled out contractually. NDA's in particular have a psychological impact that helps folks remember to keep their mouths shut, and the assurance that the other actors in the company (coworkers) have the same motivation, without having to know them personally and trust them.

Even in a small organization, it is a good idea to spell out the rights and duties and often a general code of conduct just to make sure that everyone really understands. It also protects you from sometimes down the line when you have a falling out with someone in the organization, or a partner dies and their heir is an idiot.

I'm not saying you are wrong at all, just that given the past (Sonny, Costa Rica, etc.) and everything I have seen (except Inaba sometimes) leads me to believe that they have a pretty good understanding of the power of contracts and are used to using them.

It's like "Trust but Verify" principle often used with teenagers, except when you have a written contract you don't have to rely on the troll-patrol to call you out, you go to court. Not everyone is honorable, or at least not all the time under every circumstance, so a little insurance is a good thing for the whole company.

[mrb]

The information is apparently in Bitcoin Magazine, and subscribers have reported getting the magazine already. A quick readthrough and post is worth 40BTC.

So, who has received the magazine?

[MrTeal]

The information is apparently in Bitcoin Magazine, and subscribers have reported getting the magazine already. A quick readthrough and post is worth 40BTC.

So, who has received the magazine?

Psychoticboy has said his arrived.

[Mushroomized]

The information is apparently in Bitcoin Magazine, and subscribers have reported getting the magazine already. A quick readthrough and post is worth 40BTC.

So, who has received the magazine?

Psychoticboy has said his arrived.

which issue? 4?
I might buy it, maybe. I dunno.

[MrTeal]

Sounds like BTCCurious got one, too.
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=83530.msg1311316#msg1311316

[CoinHoarder]

It's lame that we have to pay for information that BFL should tell us for free....

Or I guess I could be patient and just wait for it to come out. But, where's the fun in that?

[bitboyben]

I got my copy yesterday! hahahahahahaha!
I'm seriously impressed with the bitcoin mag. Once my ASIC arrives I know where I'll be spending some BTC.

As for the die size I just wanna say good choice! Efficient but room to grow.

[MrTeal]

I got my copy yesterday! hahahahahahaha!
I'm seriously impressed with the bitcoin mag. Once my ASIC arrives I know where I'll be spending some BTC.

As for the die size I just wanna say good choice! Efficient but room to grow.

So have you claimed the bounty?

[scrybe]

I thought the bounty was nullified when the Magazine started hitting. See the last line:

I will offer a 20BTC bounty to anybody who posts a measurement of the size of the die used in BFL's "SC" devices.  I'm assuming they all use the same chip.  It's really easy to get the die measurement from a broken device -- just grind off the plastic/ceramic top using a dremel and pull out a ruler.  I will be happy to escrow the bounty with a well-known forum member if you can present credible evidence that you're serious about this -- that way you can be sure you'll get paid before you totally wreck your already-broken device.

I need this figure in order to compute the η-factor for their product.

I will also offer a 20BTC bounty for knowledge of which process node BFL is using.  However, I caution in advance that it's not as easy to be 100% certain about that -- you can't just measure it with a ruler -- so claiming this bounty will be more difficult and will involve more verification (which might not even be possible) than the raw die-size bounty.  Please post here if you have any questions about what would be sufficient to claim this bounty; I don't want any hard feelings.

I have offered bounties like this in the past and have a history of paying promptly.

Both of these bounties become null and void if BFL releases the figures themselves.

BFL released the specs to Bitcoin Magazine who got to do an "Exclusive" on it. Now all the other Bitcoin Magazines can report on it too!

[bitboyben]

I got my copy yesterday! hahahahahahaha!
I'm seriously impressed with the bitcoin mag. Once my ASIC arrives I know where I'll be spending some BTC.

As for the die size I just wanna say good choice! Efficient but room to grow.

So have you claimed the bounty?

Nope.
 The Magazine is really good and I would recommend buying it for more than getting a few more stats on BFL hardware. Good price point just about any small time miner like myself can afford it. It is a good way to help grow the btc economy.

[scrybe]

Nope.
 The Magazine is really good and I would recommend buying it for more than getting a few more stats on BFL hardware. Good price point just about any small time miner like myself can afford it. It is a good way to help grow the btc economy.

We would appreciate it if you would share the basic info, having it locked up in a dead-tree publication is stupid. We have little enough happening that I'd rather not see some huge game being played with a few people hoarding information just to act like trolls.

If they sell the magazine electronically (even for fiat) I'm there, but I get too much dead-tree as it is.

FYI, there is no moratorium on the info re: Josh.

Well I was hoping they would have a digital story on their website too. No moratorium though feel free to publish it.

[LiteBit]

I got my copy yesterday! hahahahahahaha!
I'm seriously impressed with the bitcoin mag. Once my ASIC arrives I know where I'll be spending some BTC.

As for the die size I just wanna say good choice! Efficient but room to grow.

So have you claimed the bounty?

Nope.
 The Magazine is really good and I would recommend buying it for more than getting a few more stats on BFL hardware. Good price point just about any small time miner like myself can afford it. It is a good way to help grow the btc economy.

Do you understand the reason for this thread and the reasons we're hoping you posted in this thread?  Please enlighten us on the BFL article.  Specifically the SC die size and/or process node. 
Gracias.

[makomk]

Do you understand the reason for this thread and the reasons we're hoping you posted in this thread?  Please enlighten us on the BFL article.  Specifically the SC die size and/or process node. 
Gracias.

A user on the BFL forums posted the entire article and it doesn't appear to contain any information about die size or process node. The only interesting thing it says is that BFL is considering a future, next generation ASIC offering that moves to a smaller 45nm process node, or possibly even smaller than that. So we know that the process node they're using is bigger than 45nm - which we could've guessed anyway - but that's it.

[kwoody]

I'm going to guess BFL is using 65nm, seems to be a sweet spot between chip price, performance, and power consumption. Not that I really care though, I went with a manufacturer that's more transparent throughout the whole process(bASIC/cablepair/Tom).