This is just an idea, and I have no idea if it would work (that's why I'm asking):

**Would it be possible to use ASICs made for Bitcoin mining inside git-annex to offload the hashing of files?**

I got the idea, because I have two RaspberryPis here: 

- one runs my git-annex archive. It is really slow at hashing, so I resorted to using the WORM backend
- another one runs 2 old-ish ASIC miners. They are just barely "profitable" right now, so in a few months they will be obsolete

Both devices to some kind of `SHA256`. I have a feeling this is either extremely easy or extremely complicated to do… :)

> git-annex uses binaries such as `sha256sum` for hashing large files (large is
> currently hardcoded as bigger than 1MB). If you insert a binary with the same
> interface as `sha256sum` into your `$PATH`, git-annex will automatically use
> it. If you want to use ASIC hashing even for small files, you need to tweak
> `Backend/Hash.hs`. --[[HelmutGrohne]]

>> [[done]] --[[Joey]]