Any news on how you will pay out on Nvidia compared to AMD/ATI hardware? As NV is dead slow when mining bitcoins but better for most HPC work, will there be some kind of compensation?
I'm thinking about replacing my two 580 GTX in my desktop computer with something (much) less power hungry. Unless you have a model where it makes sense to use such video cards, then I'll keep them.
This depends on how our first HPC deal comes together. None of this is set in stone, but here is one possibility we have discussed:
- Calculate a Bitcoin-denominated base value for a work unit. Measure the amount of time it takes card model X to complete a work unit, calculate how much BTC would have been earned if that card had been mining instead. Do this across a range of AMD card models, and take an average to get the average expected value for completing that work unit (on an AMD card).
- We apply an HPC bonus to the base rate. How big this can be depends on our profit margins, but I think its likely to be > 30%. I'm hopeful that by this time next year, the bonus rate will be 100%+ expected Bitcoin mining earnings.
- Based on supply and demand factors, we may adjust the bonus rate to incentivize new miners to join. (Keep your eyes out for an upcoming "miner elasticity experiment").
- AMD cards earn the HPC bonus over the base rate for each work unit: they'll get something like ~30%+ over what they otherwise would have earned mining.
- NVIDIA cards will simply earn based off how many work units they solve. If an NVIDIA card is 3X more efficient at solving a given HPC problem, they will earn 3x as much Bitcoin for doing that work. (And often NVIDIA cards are 3x faster than a comparable AMD at HPC tasks).
Eventually we want to make a market, so bonus rates will be set based on supply and demand. We'd love for miners to be able to set, "My power costs X. I'm willing to do commercial HPC work for 1.3 X. I'm willing to do Academic work units for as low as 1.05 X. If no work at that rate is available, mine Bitcoins. If mining Bitcoins would earn less than 1.05 X, sleep." Then, our software will figure out which jobs to do based on your ruleset, and automatically switch between them for you to maximize profit.
EDIT: Monday Payouts have been sent.