How it works

How GPU-POOR works.

Illustration: a macro of chrome heatsink fins above a silicon die.
FIG. 0 — Passive cooling, up closeIllus

TL;DR

  1. Your GPU runs 45 seconds of exact integer maths in this tab.
  2. Our server checks 36 random pieces of it and keeps the time.
  3. Your score is how many devices like yours it takes to match one H100.
  4. Verified runs earn points. A weekly USDG pool from our reserve pays by points, only when it is funded. $GPUPOOR is not launched.

The unit

One H100
1,979 TOPSH100 SXM · dense INT8 Tensor Core
Spec
Your N
1,979 ÷ your TOPSverified, sustained, 45 s on our clock
Derived
Our M5
1.146 TOPSN = 1,727 · Low Power Mode
Verified

One H100 = 1,979 TOPS: the H100 SXM’s dense INT8 Tensor Core rate Spec. Not the 3,958 “with sparsity” figure: random matrices have no sparsity to use.

N = 1,979 ÷ your verified sustained TOPS, over 45 s on our clock. Throttling counts.

Our Apple M5 test laptop, in Low Power Mode, scored 1.146 TOPS, so N = 1,727 Verified. 25 minutes later it scored 11.5% more. That is why your card says “this run”, not “this chip”.

The FP32 line (67 TFLOPS, “not like-for-like”) flatters everyone about 30×, so it is never the headline.

Verification

  1. A nonce

    Our server sends a fresh 256-bit nonce. It seeds your matrices, so nothing can be computed in advance.

  2. Chained batches

    Each batch seeds the next one, on your GPU. No skipping ahead, no splitting the run across machines.

  3. A hash per 64×64 tile

    Every output tile is hashed with BLAKE3 into a commitment. It is nonlinear, so there is no algebra shortcut.

  4. 4 tiles, redone on our clock

    Every 5 s we pick 4 tiles and recompute them ourselves. Only our clock counts time.

  • Checks per runParam

    36

    challenges in every 45 s run

  • Slip chanceDerived

    2.3%

    chance that a run faking 10% of its work gets through: (1 − 0.1)36

  • Test cheaterVerified

    4/36

    checks failed by our test cheater, who faked 9% of the work. It scored 0.

  • Final checkVerified

    54–96ms

    for the final check after the last window

What we can’t stop: running on a bigger GPU (it scores as the bigger GPU), native apps, several devices per person, and faking under 5% of a normal run.

What we do: 256 checks for top-tier runs, datacenter networks are excluded as Landlord, and the chip name never touches the score.

Classes

Season 1 thresholdsParam
NClassMeaning
N > 1,000GPU-POORMore than 1,000 devices like yours make one H100.
N 333–1,000Working-class333 to 1,000 devices like yours make one H100.
N 100–333Middle-class100 to 333 devices like yours make one H100.
N ≤ 100GPU-RICH100 or fewer devices like yours make one H100.
Top 0.1% · seasonOligarchThe season’s top 0.1%, checked 256 times instead of 36. Opens at 1,000 verified runs.
Off-scaleLandlordCloud, VPN or server hardware. Never ranked, never counted, never paid.

Oligarch is the top 0.1% of a season, checked 256 times. It starts once the season has 1,000 verified runs.

Landlord: a cloud or VPN network, a server GPU, or a score no consumer device can reach. Never ranked, never counted, never paid.

Rewards

Verified runs earn points. Each Monday at 00:00 UTC, up to 50 USDG from our reserve is split by points among wallets with 20 or more, at most 1 USDG each. Pool pays only when the reserve is funded.

Rewards

$GPUPOOR · not launched

Not launched. There is no $GPUPOOR: no price, no contract address, no airdrop list. Rewards are separate: points for verified runs and a weekly USDG pool from our reserve. Points have no cash value outside that pool, and rewards never depend on how fast your GPU is. You can’t buy your class.

Privacy

  • We count devices, not people. No account, no fingerprinting, no third-party trackers. A wallet is optional, for rewards.
  • Your browser keeps a random device key so your runs stay yours. Clear it any time under “What we keep”.
  • For each run we keep its numbers, the chip name your browser reported, your faction and the time.
  • Our server reads your IP address once, to tell a home network from a datacenter. We keep the network type, not the address. For the daily rewards limit we keep a salted hash of your network for 48 hours; then the salt is deleted.
  • If you link a wallet, our server keeps its address with your device’s points. Your address and weekly amount appear in that week’s public claim list.