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Tim Alper
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Tim Alper
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A group of Russian academics says it has developed an AI solution that can track down illegal crypto mining operations.
Per the state-run news agency TASS, the solution is a groundbreaking “world’s first” and will let power companies “combat illegal mining.”
AI Solution ‘Will Help Shut Down Crypto Miners’
The solution was reportedly developed by St. Petersburg State University. Its masterminds called illegal crypto mining “one of the most pressing problems” now facing “Russia’s energy system.”
The university said it had worked with two private firms on its new solution. One, named Lartech, specializes in data transmission services for Internet of Things (IoT) devices.
The other, Energomera, claims to be Russia’s “largest manufacturer of electricity meters and automated metering systems.”
Lartech is headquartered in St. Petersburg, while Energomera is based in Stavropol, a major city in Southwestern Russia.
The solution involves building AI elements into electricity meters. The developers say their “AI meter” not only “records data, but also analyzes consumer behavior.”
When it is connected to power grids, the AI meter “receives information about the power and frequency of electrical signals,” the university claimed.
This helps it “identify non-standard loads and notify energy suppliers” about irregular electrical consumption patterns, the developers added.
For example, they claimed, the new meter can detect “activity characteristic of a crypto mining farm” in “a residential area.”
“Our AI-powered device is not just a novel innovation. It is a step towards a more transparent economy and a safer energy system. It helps to identify illegal power consumption. And it will optimize the operation of energy networks, increasing their reliability and efficiency.”
Dmitry Poltorak, Lartech CEO
‘Anti-fraud Device for Smart Meters’
The university added that “in regions with low electricity tariffs,” illegal crypto miners now “create huge loads on networks, which leads to interruptions and losses for supply companies.”
It claimed that its new device could “solve this problem by automatically recognizing abnormal electricity consumption and preventing abuse.”
The university claimed that it has also co-developed another solution that could also help power companies fight illegal crypto miners.
Also created in conjunction with Lartech, this solution acts as an “anti-fraud system” that “combats energy fraud.”
The system reportedly analyzes data from smart meters. Then, using an algorithm, it lets engineers identify possible attempts to tamper with meters, as well as “illegal connections, misuse, and other forms of energy theft.”
Last week, Russian lawmakers launched a bid to block private miners from accessing subsidized or cut-price power.
And in Novosibirsk, a local government official was this month arrested on suspicion of running a “large-scale” illegal crypto mining farm out of his garage.
