The increasing centralization of Bitcoin miningpools,with Foundry USA and Antpool dominating themarket,raises concerns about decentralization and networkstability.
Points
- FoundryUSAandAntpooleachcontrolapproximately30%ofthemarketshare.
- Thecombineddominanceofthesepoolshighlightsatrendtowardscentralization.
- ConcernsabouttheimplicationsforBitcoin’sdecentralizednature.
CurrentMarketDynamics
Over the past24hours,Foundry USA and Antpool have each mined41blocks,accounting for approximately30%of the market shareeach.Their combined dominance leaves thethird-largestpool,ViaBTC,with only about11%of the blocks mined during thisperiod.
This centralization trend has been increasing over theyears.A yearago,Foundry USA held a29%share,while Antpool had25%.Three yearsprior,their shares were24%and20%,respectively.
ImpactonDecentralization
Foundry USA boasts an impressive hashrate of181EH/s,while Antpool follows closely with around140EH/s.This concentration of computing power raises eyebrows in the cryptocommunity.Experts express concern about the potential implications forBitcoin’sdecentralizednature.
BobBurnett,Founder and CEO of BarefootMining,highlighted theseconcerns,pointing to a recent instance where Antpool mined five out of six consecutive blocks between blocks850448and850453.
While a51%share held by a single mining pooldoesn’tnecessarily pose an immediatethreat,experts warn that the real risk lies in the potential centralization within the poolsthemselves.As weaker miners exit the network and stronger ones consolidate theirpositions,this trend towards centralization could present challenges for the future of Bitcoinmining.
HistoricalContextandResilience
It’sworth noting that historical events have shown the resilience of these majorpools.During the China mining ban in the summer of2021,Antpool’shash rate dominance increased from10%to18%,despite an overall decrease in their absolute hashrate.
解説
- ThegrowingcentralizationofBitcoinminingpoolsposesapotentialthreattothedecentralizedethosofBitcoin.
- ThedominanceofafewlargepoolscouldleadtoconcernsaboutthestabilityandsecurityoftheBitcoinnetwork.
- Historicalresiliencesuggeststhatwhilecentralizationisaconcern,thenetworkhaspreviouslyadaptedtosignificantchanges.