RENCI Supercomputer mining bitcoins?

[piuk]

Found something interesting for the conspiracy theorists . According to my database block 148314 was found by ip 152.54.8.107 which is registered to Renaissance Computing Institute.

The institute applies the latest cyber tools and technologies to research and practical problems. RENCI works with scientists who study issues from climate change to the causes of cancer. It forms research teams that involve faculty members at universities across North Carolina and the U.S. in an effort to help North Carolina compete for major research awards. RENCI also partners with North Carolina government agencies. The goals of these programs are generally to use technology in ways that make the state more effective and efficient.

The institute builds software tools, creates visualizations, and employs data management systems, networks, and computing systems to address problems in health and medicine, weather impacts and disaster management, and energy. RENCI partners include faculty and units at UNC Chapel Hill, NC State University, Duke University, and other UNC system schools, research universities across the U.S., state and federal agencies and industry. Everything learned at RENCI by applying cyber technologies is documented, with the idea that this will push the development of better technologies.

From their website they have several computing clusters http://www.renci.org/resources/computing. One of these has Nvidia Tesla GPU's which could be suitable for mining. The question is could someone be mining on their clusters and would they have have enough hash rate to have any effect on the network?

The block in question is:
http://pi.uk.com/bitcoin/block-index/383735

Also these ip's also belong to RENCI.
http://pi.uk.com/bitcoin/ip-address/152.54.8.107
http://pi.uk.com/bitcoin/ip-address/152.54.8.94

http://www.top500.org/site/history/2697

[bcforum]

From their website they have several computing clusters http://www.renci.org/resources/computing. One of these has Nvidia Tesla GPU's which could be suitable for mining. The question is could someone be mining on their clusters and would they have have enough hash rate to have any effect on the network?

Yes, they could use the Tesla's for mining and someone probably did. After exchanging their bitcoins for cash they realized they would never pay off the expenses of running the supercomputer to mine and gave up.

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't be concerned over a few Teslas. Once we see institutes like this investing in AMD cores can we suspect serious Bitcoin interest.

Anybody want to pull some records on the purchasing habits of this organization?

[Stephen Gornick]

I wrote to their media and communications contact to inquire if there any projects related to Bitcoin underway there.   Will report back here.

[robojacques]

I don't how accurate the "found by" ip address is for the http://pi.uk.com/bitcoin/block-index/ block explorer.  The ip address information does not sync up with other sources.  Could be the block was "relayed by" instead of "found by", someone could be running a client as opposed to serious mining.

[MoonShadow]

The question is could someone be mining on their clusters

Sure.  They could be benchmarking.

and would they have have enough hash rate to have any effect on the network?

Any effect?  Of course.  Not detrimentally, though.