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Why Some Bitcoin Devs Say Lasers Can Cut Mining’s Energy Costs

“Optical proof-of-work” would improve geographic distribution of hashrate and quell fears of climate-related pushback, proponents argue.

Updated Apr 10, 2024, 2:13 a.m. Published Mar 22, 2022, 2:18 p.m.
Lasers have shown promise in making computation more efficient. Plus, optical computation would fit the “laser eyes” meme popular among bitcoiners. (Illustration: Yunha Lee)
Lasers have shown promise in making computation more efficient. Plus, optical computation would fit the “laser eyes” meme popular among bitcoiners. (Illustration: Yunha Lee)