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I think there are better ways than intentionally crippling a general purpose compute platform.

On the surface, the easiest, cheapest way to alleviate the situation would be to require government ID for purchases and limit it to 1 GPU per person, and relax the limitations for educational institutions doing ML research.

A more serious way to do it would be to administer a test that you take in person (similar to the DMV); you pick either a gaming skill test or a machine learning test, and if you pass, you get to buy 1 GPU. This takes a bit more resources though, logistically, and although it sounds silly I think it would work.



This is what my local microcenter does. They have a sign when you walk in saying ONE gpu per customer per 30 days, and they write down your license number to make sure. I still was never able to get one(because people camp outside the store the night before deliveries) but I appreciate their effort.




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