Ethereum: What mining performance can we expect from the Intel SHA extensions of the upcoming Skylake processor architecture
As the next generation of high-performance computing processors, the upcoming Skylake microarchitecture from Intel promises significant improvements in various aspects of performance and performance efficiency. One of the most important areas that are strongly influenced by the new processor architecture is the mining performance of Ethereum.
The Secure hash Algorithm (SHA) expansion, which was announced as part of Intel’s X86 Skylake Mikroarchitecture, aims to significantly improve the SHA processing functions for hardware-accelerated SHA processing functions, including blockchain and cryptocurrency reduction . In this article we will take a closer look at which mining performance can be expected from the Skylake processor architecture, especially on Ethereum.
Background: How Sha works
Before you deal with the details of the Skylake processor architecture, it is important to understand how Sha works. Safe hash algorithms are used for data integrity and cryptographic purposes in various applications, including blockchain and cryptocurrency systems. The SHA-256 algorithm is a widespread example of this that uses a hash function to create a string output of a fixed size from an input string.
SHA extensions on the Skylake architecture
The X86 -Skylake -Mikroarchitecture by Intel introduces several important innovations for SHA processing:
- Hardware acceleration : The Skylake processor architecture offers hardware acceleration for SHA algorithms, so that they can be carried out faster and more efficiently with special hardware accelerators.
- improved parallelism at command level (ILP) : The new architecture has improved ILP functions and enables the efficient use of several processing cores to accelerate various tasks, including SHA calculations.
Mining performance expectations
Although we do not have a precise release date for the Skylake processor architecture or its SHA extensions, we can make some well -founded estimates based on industry trends and previous advances. Here are some factors that influence mining performance in Ethereum:
- Hash -Rate : The Hash rate of a GPU (graphic processing unit) is directly proportional to its clock speed, memory size, number of kernels and shader model support.
- clock speed
: Since the Skylake processor architecture for your core processing units introduces higher clock speeds, this increases the total output of GPUs in relation to SHA calculations.
Roughly expected mining performance
Suppose we talk about a well-established Ethereum mining rig with a decent GPU (e.g. Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 or AMD Radeon RX 580) and an Intel CPU (Intel Core i7-6700K), here is a rough estimate of the mining mining Performance that can be expected from the Skylake processor architecture:
* clock speed : Depending on the specific model, the new Intel CPUS will probably tact at a speed of 3.6 GHz to 4.2 GHz.
* hash rate : With an estimated GPU clock speed of 1.5 GHz to 2.0 GHz (depending on the GPU) and a total clock speed of around 3.9 GHz to 4.2 GHz, we can Expect at least 20% to 30% with a hash rate.
* Mining performance : This means an estimated 10% to 15% of mining performance compared to older architecture (e.g. Sandy Bridge or Haswell).
Diploma
The introduction of SHA expansion into the Intel Skylake Mikroarchitecture promises significant improvements in the SHA processing functions of hardware for Ethereum mountain people. Although we have no precise estimates, a rough estimate indicates that mining performance increases by 10% to 15%, which can be achieved with a well-established GPU and an Intel Core i7-6700K CPU.