• capital@lemmy.world
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    8 months ago

    It’s estimated that Bitcoin uses the same amount of energy as the entire Internet.

    I checked out of the bitcoin hype years ago but is there a source for this? On it’s face, it sounds outlandish.

    • calcopiritus@lemmy.world
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      8 months ago

      It’s not outlandish if you know that mining Bitcoin basically means to waste electricity. The more electricity you use, the more Bitcoin you mine.

      Bitcoin mining consists one brute forcing the inverse of a function that doesn’t have an inverse. You just try every number and if you’re lucky you get paid.

      • capital@lemmy.world
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        8 months ago

        I get all that but it’s that compared to all of the infrastructure, worldwide, installed over decades connecting everyone and everything.

        I’m not saying it’s wrong but I’d like to see a source on it.