• Seti (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) researchers want to expand operations at two observatories.
• However, they have found that key computer chips are in short supply.
• Demand for GPUs has soared recently thanks to crypto-currency mining.
• GPUs are high-performance chips and aren’t just used for powering video games – they may be stacked together by Bitcoin miners, radio-astronomers or others interested in processing large amounts of data for certain applications.
• ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit) chips are chips designed to carry out specific tasks. In recent times, these chips are increasingly being used for crypto-currency mining. ASIC chips use lesser energy compared to GPUs.
• SETI, the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, is an exploratory science that seeks evidence of life in the universe by looking for some signature of its technology. The SETI Institute is a private, nonprofit organization dedicated to scientific research, education, and public outreach.

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-43056744