U.S. technology giant Intel has filed a new patent for “energy-efficient high-performance Bitcoin mining,” according to a U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) filing published Nov. 27. The Intel patent is dedicated to a “hardware accelerator implementing SHA-256 hash using optimized data paths” and aims to reduce energy for Bitcoin (BTC) mining up to 15 percent, according to the publication. The documents states that “clusters of SHA engines may consume a lot of powers (e.g., at a rate of greater than 200 W),” adding: “Embodiments of the present disclosure include energy-efficient ASIC-based SHA engines that consume less power for Bitcoin …

On Nov. 1, 2018, iExec, a decentralized marketplace for computing power based in Lyon, France, released its end-to-end trusted execution environment. The developers of iExec describe the technology as “the first Intel SGX scalable solution for businesses to achieve privacy and security in blockchain-based computing.” What is Intel SGX? Intel SGX, or Software Guard Extensions, is a popular architecture extension, introduced in 2015. It was designed to increase the security of application code and its data. As described on Intel’s website, Intel SGX makes protection possible through the use of “enclaves”, which are isolated regions of memory built into the …

Israeli blockchain startup StarkWare Industries has completed a $30 million financing round, generating funds from such industry players as Intel Capital and Sequoia USA, according to an announcement published Oct. 29. Established in 2018, StarkWare Industries develops both software and hardware, with applications including transparent privacy in blockchains, increased transaction throughput, as well as off chain computation. The company offers a zero-knowledge protocol STARK, that purports to address the privacy and scalability challenges of the blockchain field. The firm has announced the completion of its $30 million financing round, which was led by Paradigm, a crypto hedge fund founded by …

Intel and software multinational company SAP have announced that they are joining forces to address “gaps in the market” for solutions that power enterprise blockchain systems, according to an official Intel post September 4. Intel and SAP write that their 25-year collaboration on enterprise infrastructure platforms has recently expanded to encompass blockchain technologies, spearheaded by the creation of a SAP-led global industry blockchain consortium. The post outlines both companies’ blockchain initiatives to date, some of which aim to make the technology interoperable with the SAP HANA Data Management System, on which both companies have worked together closely to develop. The …

This interview has been edited and condensed. Cointelegraph recently spoke to Guy Zyskind, the founder and CEO of decentralized blockchain company Enigma and graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), about the future of blockchain protocols and where Enigma fits in. During TechCrunch’s recent Ethereum Meetup in Zug, Switzerland, Zyskind elaborated on his successful experience teaching a blockchain course at MIT, as well as his regrets over missing out getting into crypto way back in 2010. Molly Jane: First off, could you explain what the Enigma protocol is and how you originally ended up in the blockchain world? Guy …

Decentralized application (DApp) platform Enigma will partner with Intel on privacy research as it prepares to launch its blockchain testnet, the two companies confirmed June 20. Enigma, which completed a $45 mln Initial Coin Offering (ICO) in September of last year, said the collaboration would focus on “research and development efforts to advance development of privacy preserving computation technologies.” The platform aims to provide the first environment for scalable end-to-end DApps using bespoke privacy technology to protect data “while still allowing computation” on top of it. “Enigma is excited to continue collaborating with Intel to advance our protocol and privacy …

William Shatner, the former fictional Captain Kirk from Star Trek, is the spokesperson for a new solar-powered cryptocurrency mining facility, according to a press release published yesterday, June 13. The recently acquired mining warehouse, located in Murphysboro, Illinois, covers 165,000 square feet and was purchased for a “nominal cost” by Solar Alliance Energy as part of a green energy jobs initiative for the town of Murphysboro. Solar Alliance has also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with a solar panel manufacturer for developing the equipment for solar-powered crypto mining operations. Shatner, arguably now just as well known in popular culture …

Security experts agree that Intel computing processors, among others, have likely been compromised by the NSA, giving them the power to key log your pass phrases, and generally access your computer's RAM and memory beyond the control of your operating system. So far, the experts say, the Bitcoin community has not been targeted specifically, but can we protect ourselves against possible hardware hacking? Problem from Hell In an interview with IamSatoshi, Vinay Gupta a cryptographic application designer and Ethereum release coordinator, argued that “in the long run, Bitcoin is forcing us to confront the fact that in all probability, Intel …