Hardware manufacturer FutureBit has introduced HashFly, a project that simulates neural pathways of a fruit fly brain to perform Bitcoin mining calculations. The demonstration utilizes a digital wiring diagram known as MaleCNS v1.0, which maps 2,914 neural pathways. The company aims to simulate all neurons in the dataset using the SHA-256 algorithm.
FutureBit estimates that if this concept were scaled using actual organic neurons, it could achieve an efficiency of approximately 1 watt per terahash. This would be 10 times more efficient than current 3-nanometer ASIC miners. However, the current experiment runs on standard hardware and does not compete with the hash rate or difficulty of the Bitcoin network.
A separate initiative called FlyMiner utilizes a map of 139,255 fruit fly neurons and 16.8 million connections to manage a mining program. This system triggers mining attempts via the CKPool service when simulated signals reach a specific threshold, reaching speeds of up to 700,000 attempts per second.
These experiments join other unconventional mining projects. In March 2021, a researcher repurposed a 1989 Nintendo Game Boy for mining. Other notable efforts include a Brooklyn bathhouse using mining heat for pools and Nodal Power, which raised $13 million in August 2023 to mine Bitcoin using electricity generated from landfill methane.
