On Oct. 20, Bitmain launched a new firmware upgrade for the company’s Antminer S9 mining rigs that allows for the activation of overt Asicboost. The firm also explained that in roughly one week the company will release overt Asicboost firmware for all BM1387-based models manufactured by Bitmain. The China-based company joins a slew of other cryptocurrency mining organizations that have been overtly processing blocks with the once-controversial Asicboost software.
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Bitmain Miners Will Feature Overt Asicboost Technology
Bitmain has revealed the firm’s developers have finished creating a new version of firmware for the company’s Antminer S9 mining rigs. Now, S9s have the ability to use overt Asicboost while mining SHA265-based networks like Bitcoin Cash (BCH) and Bitcoin Core (BTC). Well over a year ago the Asicboost technology was considered controversial, because critics assumed the protocol was being used covertly in a secretive fashion. Asicboost gives mining rigs roughly 20-30 percent more efficiency processing blocks compared to mining devices not equipped with the protocol. Even though many BTC supporters accused Bitmain of using the software in a stealth manner, this has never been proven. Additionally, no other mining pools have been caught using the protocol covertly since the contentious argument against Asicboost optimization began in 2017.
Bitmain notes in its recent announcement that the firm had detailed back in April 2017 that its ASIC chip BM1387 already had the ability to process Asicboost. However, because of possible patent infringements and other third-party IP violations, they refrained from using the protocol.
“Initially, we decided against activating this mathematical function in mining hardware produced by us, largely because of the legal uncertainty surrounding the use
