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> it would make more financial sense to mine crypto

GPUs are power-inefficient for mining most crypto so not necessarily. You may end up paying more in electricity than you are able to mine.

Most crypto mining is on ASICs now.

You missed the part where they have already pre-paid for the GPU-hours and they pay the same regardless of he electricity used.

Also, even if they were paying for electricity, they would lose less money mining crypto than factoring RSA numbers.

Except for the prize money for the RSA challenge contest! Although they'll also need to have Claude invent a time machine.

Is someone providing prize money again? RSA ended the contest in 2007.

Hence the time machine!