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Ethereum Classic (ETC) plans to hard fork Thanos, an update that would ensure several years of mining functionality for graphics cards with 4 gigabytes of RAM.
The update, scheduled for block 11,700,000 – which will be mined between 28 and 29 November – will restore the era parameter for the Ethereum Classic mining algorithm, Ethash.
Ethash presents a pre-computed set of data used during the mining process, called the DAG. The dataset grows at a rate of around one gigabyte every 18 months and is currently very close to reaching 4GB. This is a problem for many graphics cards and some ASICs used for Ethash mining, as these devices will no longer be able to mine Ethereum Classic.
This mechanism is an important component of Ethash’s resistance to ASICs. Memory is relatively expensive and the steady growth of the DAG would end up deprecating any ASIC and discouraging heavy investment.
Thanos’ hard fork aims to halve the size of the DAG, allowing 4GB devices to continue mining for another three years.
The purpose of the hard fork is largely to attract more hash rates from Ethereum (ETH), which is also expected to completely eliminate 4GB miners before the end of 2020.
Due to the numerous 51% success stories of attacks on ETC, the community is looking to increase its hash rate and resistance to further manipulation attempts.
While another proposal seeks to completely change the mining algorithm, it is generating controversy and may take longer to pass, if ever. The Thanos hard fork is therefore presented as a short-term solution to acquire a significant portion of the total GPU hash rate and protect the network.
According to statistics captured by Hive OS, around 24% of its users are still distributing 4GB cards, and only 2% of all devices are using Ethereum Classic. Ethereum Classic’s hash rate is currently just over 1% of Ethereum’s, so even a small percentage of Ethereum miners migrating to ETC would significantly increase its security.
