<p>Yeah it could be it's just not the type of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof-of-work_system" rel="nofollow">proof of work</a> algorithm that was used. Some crypto-coins have since been implemented that are somewhat useful, such as <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primecoin" rel="nofollow">Primecoin</a>.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-11-22T00:44:55.510Z
2013-11-22T00:44:55.510Z
Loourr
<p>When computers are mining now, they're actually trying to break nonsense codes. Can't all that processing power be used to do better things with like 
<a href="http://www.gridrepublic.org" rel="nofollow">gridrepublic</a> etc.?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-11-22T01:22:13.623Z
Note that these days, much mining is done by dedicated hardware such as ASICs, which are designed for a single computational task only and are not useful for other work.
Nate Eldredge
<mining-theory><mining-technical-details>
Can't we use all the mining/processing power to calculate useful stuff?
user9102
# Can't we use all the mining/processing power to calculate useful stuff?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2013-11-21)

When computers are mining now, they're actually trying to break nonsense codes. Can't all that processing power be used to do better things with like
[gridrepublic](http://www.gridrepublic.org) etc.?

**Tags:** mining-theory, mining-technical-details

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Note that these days, much mining is done by dedicated hardware such as ASICs, which are designed for a single computational task only and are not useful for other work.  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2013-11-22. Score: 0

Yeah it could be it's just not the type of [proof of work](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proof-of-work_system) algorithm that was used. Some crypto-coins have since been implemented that are somewhat useful, such as [Primecoin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primecoin).


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