Ethash Miners: Migrating to ETChash Post ETH Merge
First off, welcome to Ethereum Classic!
Thank you for securing the original Ethereum network launched in 2015.
Ethereum Classic has a long-term commitment to Proof of Work consensus.
ETChash Mining Algorithm on Ethereum Classic
By way of Core Developer Call 22, the Ethereum Classic network publicly signals continued support for the ETChash mining algorithm through the foreseeable future. This reaffirms Ethereum Classic's principles of fostering a decentralized Proof of Work mining ecosystem. This confirms a continued long-term commitment to the current mining ecosystem participants and their GPU and ETChash ASIC equipment.
- Network Clients: https://ethereumclassic.org/development/clients
- Mining Information: https://ethereumclassic.org/mining
- MetaMask with ETC: https://ethereumclassic.org/guides/metamask
Welcome Disenfranchised Ethash Miners
The Ethereum Foundation is expected to migrate it's EVM network to proof of stake consensus in Quarter 2 of 2022 through an event labeled "The Merge". We recommend planning your equipment migration to ETChash prior to the Merge. The Ethereum Classic Discord has an active mining community to help in your transition planning.
This Merge event will disenfranchise the largest EVM's Proof of Work mining ecosystem. Ethereum Classic is well positioned to absorb much of this abandoned Ethash hashrate. However, Ethash miners might not realize that Ethereum Classic operates a modified version of Ethash called ETChash.
In November 2020, the ETChash mining algorithm was activated on Ethereum Classic mainnet with the Thanos Upgrade. This upgrade slowed the growth rate of the DAG. This has allowed GPU miners to operate their equipment longer on ETChash than Ethash. This assured Ethereum Classic would absorb any mining equipment obsoleted by Ethash's DAG growth rate and organically grow Ethereum Classic's base level network hashrate.
Note: Ethash ASICs will likely need a firmware update for ETChash compatibility. Please contact your manufacturer and request an official firmware release for ETChash compatibility. Additionally, some mining communities have already developed custom firmware for updating ASIC equipment to ETChash.
New ETChash miners will find comfort in knowing that Ethereum Classic made a long-term commitment to Proof of Work consensus through the network's Die Hard Upgrade in 2018.
If you're new to the ETC mining ecosystem, you've found a long-term home on Ethereum Classic. A battle-tested network where you can properly plan your mining business' capital and operational expenditures around a predictable monetary policy and stable network that is widely integrated throughout the cryptoverse.
The Ethereum Classic Discord has an active mining community to help in your transition planning. Please join the conversation.
ETC's Monetary Policy
New mining participants on the Ethereum Classic network may want to familiarize themselves with ETC's fixed monetary policy and the 5M20 emission schedule via ECIP-1017. A visual countdown and chart of the 5M20 emission schedule can be found at ETCis.Money.
Learn More About ETC
But some, like yourself, decide to dive a little deeper, and they discover some interesting facts that debunk that initial skepticism. Their journey down the rabbit hole begins when they find out that Ethereum Classic is not a clone of Ethereum™, but a continuation of the original Ethereum launched in 2015, which The Ethereum Foundation forked away from by launching a new protocol one year later in 2016.
