[ANN] OpenBitASIC : The Open Source Bitcoin ASIC Initiative

[SgtSpike]

What's important in the end is that everybody can get a piece of the most efficient mining hardware for, say <1k USD. That is the only way to ensure Bitcoin mining does not get monopolized to a point where Bitcoin essentially loses its greatest strength: decentralization.

@SgtSpike: I wouldn't limit the pool of potential investors to miners alone - anybody who doesn't want Bitcoin to fail in the long run should have an interest in Bitcoin mining staying decentralized. This initiative is IMHO a very important step towards that end. I'd definitely help funding the development of such an open ASIC design!

waiting if GLBSE funding will be available! Interested thx

Seconded

+1

Seconded + 1 = Thirded?

[Philj]

This sounds really sweet. can't wait till there is more concrete info and perhaps a prototype with lots of pics.

[||bit]

I just ran across this thread, and love the idea. We'll see how it goes...and will be nice to see some competitionion in the ASIC business. ... go capitalism!

[||bit]

Is there much difference in a Altera Hardcopy (ASIC?) versus a custom ASIC? ... Performance to cost in particular?

[||bit]

Is this project and/or thread dying out?

[bulanula]

Is this project and/or thread dying out?

Seems like it is.

Why not use BFL SuperComputer instead of this vaporware project ?

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=83985.0

Stay tuned for 15 June announcement and sell all FPGA / GPUs you have that are not by BFL

 

[DILLIGAF]

Is this project and/or thread dying out?

Seems like it is.

Why not use BFL SuperComputer instead of this vaporware project ?

https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=83985.0

Stay tuned for 15 June announcement and sell all FPGA / GPUs you have that are not by BFL

 

BFL is on the same boat until they actually have a product to ship and if their past performance is anything to go by it will be give us your money and six months later we will ship.

[Dhomochevsky]

Last update by Gusti was only a couple of weeks ago. This is a long-term project meant to create an open source ASIC design. It's even mentioned in the thread, the first prototypes are slated for production in late 2012. I don't think 2 weeks of inactivity on this specific thread spells doom for the project. Q4 2012 seems like a realistic goal for something like this, as opposed to claims by other manufacturers, that also ask for thousands of dollars upfront and deliver months late, after lying about their specs.

So far, I have more trust in this project due to its more realistic goals, than in other commercial ones that so far have delivered nothing but promised the moon and the stars. Yes, it may turn out to be vaporware, but that remains to be seen.

[gusti]

Project is alive and kicking. Not much news lately, so no posting. We are talking with 3 chip manufacturers.
Each need specific technical details before giving a quotation. As soon a manufacturer is elected, we will build a prototype to show. Pre-sales will come after that.
 

[||bit]

Project is alive and kicking. Not much news lately, so no posting. We are talking with 3 chip manufacturers.
Each need specific technical details before giving a quotation. As soon a manufacturer is elected, we will build a prototype to show. Pre-sales will come after that.
 

Thanks for the update.

Gusti, I asked this question in the thread, I was curious if you would help me with it.

"Is there much difference in a Altera Hardcopy (ASIC?) versus a custom ASIC? ... Performance to cost in particular?"

I'm not familiar with what a hardcopy is versus a custom designed ASIC.

[Shadow383]

Project is alive and kicking. Not much news lately, so no posting. We are talking with 3 chip manufacturers.
Each need specific technical details before giving a quotation. As soon a manufacturer is elected, we will build a prototype to show. Pre-sales will come after that.
 

Any news on pricing/performance?

[norulezapply]

subbed.

watching this closely!

[matthewh3]

Project is alive and kicking. Not much news lately, so no posting. We are talking with 3 chip manufacturers.
Each need specific technical details before giving a quotation. As soon a manufacturer is elected, we will build a prototype to show. Pre-sales will come after that.
 

Any news on pricing/performance?

Think they have stated ~8GH/s@~100W@~$3,000

[||bit]

Project is alive and kicking. Not much news lately, so no posting. We are talking with 3 chip manufacturers.
Each need specific technical details before giving a quotation. As soon a manufacturer is elected, we will build a prototype to show. Pre-sales will come after that.
 

Any news on pricing/performance?

Think they have stated ~8GH/s@~100W@~$3,000

Seems kinda high. Would such pricing be initial pricing to recoupe startup costs? I'd like to see it lower of course.

My understanding of ASIC's are that they can be like 10+ times faster than FPGA (correct me if I am wrong). I'd therefore expect ABOUT a ten times H/$ ratio. However, BFL could produce FPGA's that hashed at 8GH/$6000 (i.e. 10 BFL Singles). That is half as good as the ASIC H/$... not a tenth (or fifth since they seem to have a supplier trick in how they acquire the Stratix III's). But even some of the other deals imply only a four times advantage of the above project versus 10+ times what I'd guesstimate.

Any thoughts on that?

[Coinoisseur]

An ASIC seller has to recover their initial investment. They aren't going to pass on all the MH/$ to the buyers, instead they will price to make it an obvious buy over existing alternatives.

[matthewh3]

With it being opensource hardware anyone else can commission their own production run of the hardware so after the initial release get ready for loads of cheap(er) (official) copy's being released.  Yes as the years go on production runs will get cheaper and hardware advances following Moore's law should happen.  As with it being opensource hardware anyone can pick up on its designs to improve it and produce a new version.  That is one of the main advantages of this project over other closed-source alternatives.  With opensource hardware making this design cheaper so more widely used.  Then if the bitcoin protocol is changed (which could wipe out any ASIC) it will more likely take into consideration the dominate hardware design of the blockchain.  

[matthewh3]

Project is alive and kicking. Not much news lately, so no posting. We are talking with 3 chip manufacturers.
Each need specific technical details before giving a quotation. As soon a manufacturer is elected, we will build a prototype to show. Pre-sales will come after that.
 

Any news on pricing/performance?

Think they have stated ~8GH/s@~100W@~$3,000

Seems kinda high. Would such pricing be initial pricing to recoupe startup costs? I'd like to see it lower of course.

My understanding of ASIC's are that they can be like 10+ times faster than FPGA (correct me if I am wrong). I'd therefore expect ABOUT a ten times H/$ ratio. However, BFL could produce FPGA's that hashed at 8GH/$6000 (i.e. 10 BFL Singles). That is half as good as the ASIC H/$... not a tenth (or fifth since they seem to have a supplier trick in how they acquire the Stratix III's). But even some of the other deals imply only a four times advantage of the above project versus 10+ times what I'd guesstimate.

Any thoughts on that?

I'd like a 4GH/s@50W@$1,500 or even a 2GH/s@25W@$750 version to make the initial cost outlay lower to attract even more miners in and not just a "few" big players.

[Shadow383]

Project is alive and kicking. Not much news lately, so no posting. We are talking with 3 chip manufacturers.
Each need specific technical details before giving a quotation. As soon a manufacturer is elected, we will build a prototype to show. Pre-sales will come after that.
 

Any news on pricing/performance?

Think they have stated ~8GH/s@~100W@~$3,000

Seems kinda high. Would such pricing be initial pricing to recoupe startup costs? I'd like to see it lower of course.

My understanding of ASIC's are that they can be like 10+ times faster than FPGA (correct me if I am wrong). I'd therefore expect ABOUT a ten times H/$ ratio. However, BFL could produce FPGA's that hashed at 8GH/$6000 (i.e. 10 BFL Singles). That is half as good as the ASIC H/$... not a tenth (or fifth since they seem to have a supplier trick in how they acquire the Stratix III's). But even some of the other deals imply only a four times advantage of the above project versus 10+ times what I'd guesstimate.

Any thoughts on that?

I'd like a 4GH/s@50W@$1,500 or even a 2GH/s@25W@$750 version to make the initial cost outlay lower to attract even more miners in and not just a "few" big players.

Hell, I think we'd all love to get 2Ghash for $750 

[matthewh3]

Project is alive and kicking. Not much news lately, so no posting. We are talking with 3 chip manufacturers.
Each need specific technical details before giving a quotation. As soon a manufacturer is elected, we will build a prototype to show. Pre-sales will come after that.
  

Any news on pricing/performance?

Think they have stated ~8GH/s@~100W@~$3,000

Seems kinda high. Would such pricing be initial pricing to recoupe startup costs? I'd like to see it lower of course.

My understanding of ASIC's are that they can be like 10+ times faster than FPGA (correct me if I am wrong). I'd therefore expect ABOUT a ten times H/$ ratio. However, BFL could produce FPGA's that hashed at 8GH/$6000 (i.e. 10 BFL Singles). That is half as good as the ASIC H/$... not a tenth (or fifth since they seem to have a supplier trick in how they acquire the Stratix III's). But even some of the other deals imply only a four times advantage of the above project versus 10+ times what I'd guesstimate.

Any thoughts on that?

I'd like a 4GH/s@50W@$1,500 or even a 2GH/s@25W@$750 version to make the initial cost outlay lower to attract even more miners in and not just a "few" big players.

Hell, I think we'd all love to get 2Ghash for $750  

Yeah if when ASIC's first come out if they can release an ASIC under $1,000 most (a lot of) hobby miners in the western world could jump on the bandwagon and not just the people with the prices of a BFL Mini-Rig to invest.  Therefore keeping the blockchain diverse and not in the hands of just a few miners.  Which could spell the end for bitcoin adoption.  If they offer amazing rates like 100GH/s@1kW@$10,000 only it could kill bitcoin mining for most people and its bitcoin miners who are they biggest supporters of bitcoin.  Reduce there number and reduce the number of bitcoin promoters and then also users.

[gusti]

@||bit : hardcopy is lower NRE, with higher price per chip and lower performance, compared with a custom full ASIC. YMMV with different technologies and economies of scale.

@Shadow383 : no more news until we have final quotations from manufacturers. Each manufacturer has a different approach, which may lead to different price / performance on the final design.