The patent, published last week, describes an opt-in system, so this isn’t something Microsoft would include as a background Windows task, and it could result in cash payments.
Microsoft is seeking to patent technology that uses idle gaming PCs to train AI models in exchange for some form of digital currency.
Filed in 2025 by Microsoft Technology Licensing and published last week, the patent describes distributing AI training tasks in a system similar to Folding@Home, in which a global network of powerful gaming PCs could use their idle GPU cycles for AI training, PC Games Hardware reports.
The patent, titled Opportunistic Micro-training on Edge Devices Using Spare GPU Utilization (US-20260349820-A1), describes an opt-in system, so this isn’t something Microsoft would include as a background Windows task, at least not in its currently described form. Whenever that system ran idle, it could automatically be looped in to completing portions of larger AI training workloads. The system would then track completed work and issue credits that could be redeemed for use with the resulting AI model, free software, or even cash.
The patent describes a responsive system that tracks utilization of key components like memory, CPU, and GPU, as well as temperatures and power draw, and searches for an ideal time when the GPU is not in use and, in particular, is running cool. The last thing Microsoft wants is its distributed AI training system setting anyone’s PC on fire. Although RTX 50 GPU owners may need to be more careful there.
Users will be able to manually start or stop jobs, too, so it’s not like the system would prevent you from gaming while it churns away on AI training. You’d also be able to set a usage limit to prevent overuse of energy or hardware. Although GPUs don’t necessarily degrade with heavier use like some electronics, I’m not sure whether AI training would be covered by your warranty.
trAIn@Home
It’s crypto all over agane … my msi 2070 came with a programm where you could mine ETH.
Sam Altmann peering out of your cooling grills like IT in the sewer.
Who wants to bet that the cash reward for letting Microsoft abuse your system won’t even cover the power draw cost?
I bet you’d get paid in Microsoft Store Credits and not even real cash.
My guess would be achievements and a leaderboard, if you’re lucky.
Where I live. It won’t
Didn’t even think of this. Which means most users won’t either
You’d also be able to set a usage limit to prevent overuse of energy or hardware.
The only way to prevent overuse of energy or hardware is not to run that software in the first place.
They use so much energy and hardware that they must get a huge discount on both of these things.
They’re not going to pay you more than it would cost to do it themselves. So, the system only works if they pay less than their discounted rates, which will obviously be less than the rates that the edge devices pay for their shit.
The system has to be designed to prey on people who don’t realize that they’re running at a loss and are donating their personal funds to a giant corporation.
The patent, titled Opportunistic Micro-training on Edge Devices Using Spare GPU Utilization
Spare GPU Utilization does exist, like if you are playing a game, you might not be using all of the processing power of your GPU. However, when your computer is idle, that is not spare GPU utilization. You have to pay for the energy to run it. It’s not just sitting there like you’ve already bought it.
Hello patent office. I would like to patent a technology that has been around for decades, but, BUT this time it’s AI so it’s totally new. Also, we’re gonna call it voluntary as in “you voluntarily keep using Windows for some fucking reason”.
Lemme just glom onto the top “this is not new” comment. I truly hope they never make a single dime on this “patent”.* The stuff that is patentable in the USA, it’s wild. As with most US systems, this one also needs a thorough overhaul. A revolution, even.
* sure, they’ll continue making money with their products, this one too
This is just folding@home but makes the world worse.
Seti@home did this in 1999.
how stupid do you have to be to still run windows?
How is this new or novel at all?
folding@home has entered the chat
Seti@home did it in 1999
What’s new is there’s promise of money they’ll never pay out.
Greedy, but not novel. That said, the patent system is a cluster fuck skewed towards business.and the extremely wealthy
Ahhh. This is what I figured frame generation was for.
Down the line, i bet you can opt into this to avoid ads
… some ads, not all.
Ok no ads get blocked now, and you pay is 10 bucks a month to turn it off
Six months after that, the $10 a month plan now includes ads, upgrade to Premium for only $5 a month more for a “no ads experience”!
(Then six months after that, all plans have ads, ala the Disney Plus approach to enshittification.)
Now 10 bucks a month for the “premium gaming plan” will let you turn it off whenever a game is running and it’s directly impacting your framerate, whenever you’re not using the computer heavily it will still be on.
Opt in? That’s cute. You’ll be opted in automatically and good fucking luck finding the opt out.
Ads? Tolls.
Only if you’re a dorito do the dew level gamer
Unlikely this would cover the additional electricity cost you’d incur doing this for them anywhere but the cheapest power regions on earth.
I pay a flat rate for utilities and hate my landlord. Hmmm 🤔
Go do Folding@home then. As least you can help research instead of helping big tech.
I was thinking the exact same thing.
Honestly I would prefer this over data centers. but the value of the currency earned is less than what the user spends on electricity to do it though.
