The lack of video cards due to hobbies mining even affected SETI

For several decades now, an alien intelligence program has been working on Earth. The SETI project envisages a number of projects and methods for searching for extraterrestrial civilizations and the possible entry into contact with them. Some experts believe that in our galaxy - a huge number of planets, some of which can be inhabited, and the inhabitants - reasonable.

That is why in the last century it was decided to start a large-scale project to find brothers by reason. The program is gradually expanding, and scientists and ordinary people continue to believe in its effectiveness. Now the program is planning to expand, in two new observatories, scientists were going to install new equipment. But so far failed. Why? It is the fault of the cryptoluch.

The fact is that in order to maintain the required level of computation, SETI centers must have the latest generation computer equipment. This implies the presence of powerful graphics cards, preferably new ones - both morally and physically. But the trouble is, after the start of the search for such video cards, the scientists were faced with a shortage. The problem is that now the majority of video cards are being bought up by the creators of crypto farms, private miners and cryptocurrency enthusiasts in general.
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But the fact that miners are good, for scientists, is death, or rather, stopping work. “The shortage of video cards limits the number of searches for remote planets, work that allows you to gradually search for answers to questions like“ Are we alone? ”,“ Is there anyone else? ”,” Says the project manager for the SETI extension. And it’s not yet possible to start a search for these questions, since graphics cards simply do not reach specialists.

“This is a new problem, and it appeared literally in the last two months. When we try to order powerful equipment, in the sense of a video card, we are denied due to the lack of the necessary systems, ”the project representatives complain.



The problem is that miners, like no one else, need powerful graphics cards that allow you to mine cryptocurrency with more efficient methods. The more expensive the cryptocurrency, the correspondingly faster video cards with good and very good performance disappear from sale, since crypto enthusiasts are building more and more farms of the most diverse scale.

“We at SETI are trying to build as many channels as possible. This is necessary for the search for aliens, so to speak, brothers in mind. And if the equipment is not suitable for this purpose, is there any point in implementing the project? ”Said one of the project leaders.

Information from radio telescopes is gradually being processed by a software and hardware complex, which includes more than a hundred powerful graphics adapters. As a result, scientists can count on finding the weakest signal of an alien civilization, if it exists, of course.

"We got the money, contacted the manufacturers and ... nothing," - says the head of the project, complaining about the inaccessibility of video adapters. By the way, the problem becomes so noticeable that the chip maker Nvidia recommends that retail stores sell products to ensure that the needs of ordinary gamers are met. There is even a proposal to set special rates for equipment for cryptocurrency miners.

Now everyone at SETI was assured that the organization is doing everything possible and impossible to find the right graphics adapters and continue working, and scaled work.

By the way, not only SETI was affected. Scientists from other fields also suffer from a severe shortage of video cards. As a result, important work stops, which, often, there is no possibility to perform. Three months ago, the cost of a powerful video card was about $ 500. Since then, the price has tripled, and now you can see graphics cards priced at $ 1,500 and up.

It seems that the more popular mining will be, the less there will be free video cards for sale. Nevertheless, the work "in the mines" continues, because even the owner of a very small farm can make money. Provided that from 12 to 25 graphics cards are installed on a single farm, it can be recouped in about six months (and this is taking into account the ever-increasing complexity of mining). However, in this case we are not talking about Bitcoin, which in more or less sales volumes can only be obtained using ASIC, but on the air. That's it, along with other cryptocurrencies, and continue to produce cryptoenthusiasts.