3 ms·
> asics cost more to build than a commodity GPU Why would this be true? The R&D costs of a commodity GPU can be amortized across more customers than an ASIC, a
by addaon 6y ago
> asics cost more to build than a commodity GPU
Why would this be true? The R&D costs of a commodity GPU can be amortized across more customers than an ASIC, and the same is somewhat true for capital costs (masks, etc) -- but the manufacturing cost of an ASIC should be at worst the same as a GPU (with one fewer middleman adding a margin on top of those costs), and in general cheaper (since die size can be reduced, or an older process can be used).
- latchkey 6y agoTechnically, a GPU is an ASIC. It really boils down to economy of scale. AMD can produce chips (and solutions) at much more scale (and thus far less expensive) than relatively small Innosilicon can. AMD has closer relationships to the fabs. It also is other factors that go into this. Like the critical memory controller component. AMD owns the patents. AMD can also buy memory chips in larger bulk (and thus less expensive). Also, the R&D on GPU's is an already amortized cost. They already exist. ASICs have to be engineered from the ground up and do what GPU's already do. At the end of the day, this is also beneficial because GPU's can be repurposed, while sha256 ASICs are just e-waste every time a new round of smaller nm tech comes out.