AMD is working on a Navi 10 GPU dedicated to cryptocurrencies

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Not a bad idea really, as it would free up graphics card sales for gamers. A new Linux patches seem to point towards a cryptocurrency-focused graphics card from AMD, that the patches add descriptions for a “Navi 10 Blockchain GPU”.



The graphics card in question carries a device ID of 0x731E. As Phoronix mentions, the main distinction between this secret GPU and the normal Navi 10 offering is that both the Display Core Next (DCN) and Video Core Next (VCN) engines are disabled. This lack of support indicates that the graphics card will likely arrive without display outputs. Navi 10 is based on AMD's RDNA 1.0 architecture and is based on TSMC's 7nm FinFET manufacturing process. With an IDE of 251mm², the Navi 10 houses up to 10.3 billion transistors and generally houses 40 CUs (2,560 Stream Processors).

AMD uses Navi 10 on four of its graphics cards: Radeon RX 5700 XT, RX 5700, RX 5600 XT and RX 5600. Considering the timing of the Linux patch information, Phoronix estimates a release no earlier than 2021. While the GPU cryptocurrency mining market is not what it used to be, there is still a huge market that AMD can take advantage of. 

AMD is working on a Navi 10 GPU dedicated to cryptocurrencies


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