Chipmaking giant Nvidia could potentially restart production of dedicated graphics processing units (GPUs) for cryptocurrency miners, according to its executive vice president and chief financial officer.
- Speaking at an event on Jan. 12, Colette Kress said if demand in the cryptocurrency market picks up to a "meaningful" level, the company could again start selling the specialized cards called CMPs, accordion to a SeekingAlpha transcription.
- CMPs are GPUs with the video outputs removed, allowing them to be made and sold more cheaply.
- Currently, Nvidia's RTX 30-Series GPUs are popular with miners, though Kress said, "we don’t believe [mining demand is] a big part of our business today."
- However, "gaming demand is very strong, and we think that’s larger than our current supply," she said.
- With the RTX 30-Series supply to stay tight until at least the end of Q1 2021, relaunching CMPs could alleviate pressure on the consumer product line.
- While bitcoin miners use specialized and more costly processors called ASICs, other cryptocurrencies like Ethereum's ether can be mined with GPUs.
Read more: Nvidia Accused of Trying to Discredit Ex-Employee in Crypto Mining Revenue Trial
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