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Bitcoin is a paperclip optimizer as it is. It will consume all the world's computation to solve for SHA256 hashes. Eventually we will colonize Mars, not because

Bitcoin is a paperclip optimizer as it is. It will consume all the world's computation to solve for SHA256 hashes. Eventually we will colonize Mars, not because it is easy, but because it's cheaper to cool Bitcoin mining nodes on a frigid desert planet than on Earth.

akvadrako 6y ago
Is it? The atmosphere is thin so convection won't work well. And water is mostly what we use for conduction on earth, which mars doesn't have much of. I think deep in the ocean or on antarctica makes more sense.
- chrisco255 6y ago
  Average temperature on Mars is -60C. You won't need water for liquid cooling. Standard metal heat sinks would work fine at temps that low.
  - eimrine 6y ago
    There is another reason which makes mining bitcoins on Mars impossible. Too big lag, up to tens of minutes. It is OK for regular using but not OK for mining.
    - rachelbythebay 6y ago
      What if you build that into the protocol? Having to set up on Mars in order to double-spend something would make it rather difficult for most people.
    - Ekaros 6y ago
      Bitcoin getting even more fun. Interplanetary competition which one is the longer chain...
  - akvadrako 6y ago
    You still need to dissipate the heat. Metal is fine for moving the heat, but the specific heat of water is what makes it so effective. On Mars you just have rocks.
    - chrisco255 6y ago
      When it is -60C you don't need to spend much energy dissipating heat. It likes to dissipate itself. But yes, heat sinks plus fans will absolutely do in -60C.
      - akvadrako 6y ago
        You need to dissipate the heat into something. In empty space it's -273 but still very difficult to keep cool.
        chrisco255 6y ago
        No, these chips only run at 150F even at room temps on planet earth. Most of these Bitcoin farms are air cooled even in temperate climates. Please, it's not that hard to keep microchips cool. Liquid cooling helps for massive, dense server farms in temperate climates. You don't need it if you're going to fun a farm in Antarctica. In fact, you may struggle to prevent the liquid from freezing. And you wouldn't need it on Mars. By the way, "air-cooled" does not mean the air cools the chips. In fact, the problem is that the air near the chips gets warm, because the air absorbs the heat and acts as a blanket. Air-cooled means you are pushing the hot air away from the chip and bringing in cooler air. But the absence of air means the problem (or solution, depending on context) never exists in the first place, it just dissipates. The thinner the atmosphere, the easier to keep cool anything. You need air to retain heat, not to dissipate it. Right, without the Earth's atmosphere, we'd lose most of our heat at night, nearly all of it, and we'd have deep sub-zero temps every night even in the summer, even though we're closer to sun by a lot than Mars, we're still on the outskirts of the habitable zone for a planet.
        akvadrako 6y ago

akvadrako 6y ago

Is it? The atmosphere is thin so convection won't work well. And water is mostly what we use for conduction on earth, which mars doesn't have much of. I think deep in the ocean or on antarctica makes more sense.

chrisco255 6y ago
Average temperature on Mars is -60C. You won't need water for liquid cooling. Standard metal heat sinks would work fine at temps that low.
- eimrine 6y ago
  There is another reason which makes mining bitcoins on Mars impossible. Too big lag, up to tens of minutes. It is OK for regular using but not OK for mining.
  - rachelbythebay 6y ago
    What if you build that into the protocol? Having to set up on Mars in order to double-spend something would make it rather difficult for most people.
  - Ekaros 6y ago
    Bitcoin getting even more fun. Interplanetary competition which one is the longer chain...
- akvadrako 6y ago
  You still need to dissipate the heat. Metal is fine for moving the heat, but the specific heat of water is what makes it so effective. On Mars you just have rocks.
  - chrisco255 6y ago
    When it is -60C you don't need to spend much energy dissipating heat. It likes to dissipate itself. But yes, heat sinks plus fans will absolutely do in -60C.
    - akvadrako 6y ago
      You need to dissipate the heat into something. In empty space it's -273 but still very difficult to keep cool.
      - chrisco255 6y ago
        No, these chips only run at 150F even at room temps on planet earth. Most of these Bitcoin farms are air cooled even in temperate climates. Please, it's not that hard to keep microchips cool. Liquid cooling helps for massive, dense server farms in temperate climates. You don't need it if you're going to fun a farm in Antarctica. In fact, you may struggle to prevent the liquid from freezing. And you wouldn't need it on Mars. By the way, "air-cooled" does not mean the air cools the chips. In fact, the problem is that the air near the chips gets warm, because the air absorbs the heat and acts as a blanket. Air-cooled means you are pushing the hot air away from the chip and bringing in cooler air. But the absence of air means the problem (or solution, depending on context) never exists in the first place, it just dissipates. The thinner the atmosphere, the easier to keep cool anything. You need air to retain heat, not to dissipate it. Right, without the Earth's atmosphere, we'd lose most of our heat at night, nearly all of it, and we'd have deep sub-zero temps every night even in the summer, even though we're closer to sun by a lot than Mars, we're still on the outskirts of the habitable zone for a planet.
        akvadrako 6y ago