Throughout 2017, we have been able to verify how cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin, Ether and others, have greatly increased their value, up to over $ 19.000 in the case of Bitcoin. To be able to mine cryptocurrencies, we need a powerful equipment supported by one or more GPUs (since it is easier to mount several GPUs in parallel than several processors).
The combination of the processor (CPU) together with the graphics (GPU) makes the performance higher and therefore, the chances of obtaining cryptocurrencies are higher. This is the main reason for the shortage of powerful GPUs in the market and the few that do arrive, it does so at a prohibitive price. This is where we run into the problem of cryptocurrencies and aliens.
The Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence, better known as SETi, focuses on search for extraterrestrial life through the analysis of electromagnetic signals, sending messages waiting for someone to be answered and analyzing the images received by the large telescopes that it has all over the world. Although to this day they have not yet found any sign that indicates the existence of intelligent extraterrestrial life in space, they have not lost hope despite the fact that they have been trying for more than 40 years.
But, according to the BBC, SETI wants to expand the number of laboratories in charge of analyze all the signals and images they receive from space and for this, they need the most powerful GPUs on the market, but due to the rise of cryptocurrencies this task has become an impossible mission. In order to process the large amount of data they receive, they need a lot of power, a power that can be obtained in the same way as cryptocurrency miners, as I have mentioned above.
Some SETI Research Centers, such as Berkley, need more than a hundred GPUs to be able to process all that information as soon as possible. As stated by Dr. Werthimer, Chief Investigator at SETI headquarters in Berkley
At SETI we want to see as many frequency channels as possible because we don't know what frequency they might be transmitting on and we need to look for all kinds of signals, both AM and FM.
Berkley claims they have the money, but despite having direct contact with the manufacturersThey have not been able to get hold of them. Nvidia and AMD say they are working very hard to meet the growing demand for GPUs, a demand that has begun to be noticed in the revenues of these major manufacturers, who say that the rise of cryptocurrencies is bringing them some income they had not anticipated.
Interesting article!!