Intel halts the  its  bitcoin chips

Intel has announced the end of life of its first-generation Blockscale 1000-series chips, just a year after the official announcement of its Bitcoin-mining ASICs. However, the company has not announced any follow-up generations of the chips. According to Tom's Hardware, Intel stated that the reason for discontinuing the Blockscale ASICs is to prioritize its investments in IDM 2.0, while still providing support to its Blockscale customers.

Intel has frequently cited its tighter focus on its IDM 2.0 operations as the reason for exiting several businesses amid company-wide belt-tightening. When asked if the company planned to completely exit the Bitcoin ASIC business, Intel responded that they will continue to monitor market opportunities.

In the initial announcement of the company's entrance into the blockchain market, then-graphics-chief Raja Koduri revealed that Intel had created a Custom Compute Group within the AXG graphics unit to support the Bitcoin ASICs and "additional emerging technology." However, the company recently restructured the AXG group, and Koduri left the company shortly after. When asked about the fate of the Custom Compute Group, Intel stated that they have no organizational changes to share at this time.

It remains to be seen whether Intel will continue to pursue opportunities in the Bitcoin ASIC market, or if the discontinuation of the Blockscale ASICs is indicative of a larger shift away from the blockchain industry. Nevertheless, the company's focus on IDM 2.0 operations signals a significant shift in its strategic priorities.