KodakCoin, blockchain, together with a questionable contract that would guide keep Kodak mining Bitcoin for y'all after a $3,400 buy-in.
Image courtesy Chris Hoffman; your KodakCoin volition build it inwards eighteen months.
Bitcoins, blockchains, together with cryptocurrencies guide keep been making a lot of waves during recent months, together with equally nosotros only wrote nigh yesterday, the recent surge inwards profitability of mining (via GPUs) has created nevertheless roughly other graphics menu shortage. But CES makes for roughly foreign bedfellows, together with perchance Kodak's foray into the basis of blockchain technology scientific discipline volition assist alleviate the require on graphics cards. Just kidding: it in all likelihood won't practice that at all, together with this is probable only ane of the many, many desperate trend-chasing crypto initiatives that volition gear upward on your encephalon inwards 2018. Prepare for the worst.
Kodak, which filed for bankruptcy dorsum inwards 2012, together with latterly turned a net income because Star Wars: The Force Awakens was shot on film, has announced several related blockchain plans. First is KodakOne digital rights management, which volition hold upward backed past times blockchain technologies together with the novel KodakCoin. The latter volition showtime alongside an ICO (Initial Coin Offering), a pop way to endeavor to jumpstart novel cryptocurrencies. The persuasion is that KodakOne volition runway usage of registered images, together with when it comes across an unlicensed role of an image, it volition assist the lensman to teach paid. This volition dovetail into the KodakCoin, which volition hold upward the medium of central for licensing payments.
KodakCoin volition become on sale on Jan 31, but the actual KodakOne infrastructure isn't planned for deployment until much later. H5N1 beta volition liberate inwards Q4 2018, alongside the official launch slated for Q2 2019, if Kodak doesn't quietly abandoned this entire tenuous conception betwixt right away together with then. It's non clear if KodakCoin volition hold upward a mineable cryptocurrency, but the 3rd prong of Kodak's blockchain onslaught suggests it mightiness be.
Kodak is planning to install a large seat out of dedicated ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits) inwards its headquarters, together with it volition hence offering ii twelvemonth contracts for sale to investors. The cost volition hold upward $3,400, after which Kodak volition guide keep one-half of the Bitcoin mined together with the purchaser of the contract volition teach the other half. The proffer is that at electrical flow cost together with difficulty levels, the hardware volition earn $25 per day, important inwards ii years the hardware volition generate $18,000—and you'd teach one-half of that.
There are all sorts of problems alongside this, namely that predicting Bitcoin difficulty together with cost is basically impossible. The fact that the mining hardware appears to hold upward AntMiner S9 units alongside Kodak branding slapped on them doesn't actually help. But if y'all guide keep a corporate component subdivision that's sitting largely empty, equally Kodak only might, using it to powerfulness mining rigs mightiness hold upward a way to offset roughly costs. And using Bitcoin ASICs instead of mining PCs hopefully agency Kodak won't hold upward contributing to the ongoing GPU shortages.
This may goal upward existence a sugariness bargain for Kodak, but it reeks of bandwagoning hence hard HowToGeek's Chris Hoffman called it "the dumbest shit I've seen at CES." Whatever happens, the short-term benefits of talking nigh blockchain technologies at CES guide keep helped Kodak's stock cost to to a greater extent than than double over the past times day.
Thanks PC GAMER
