New RandomJS test algorithm for blocking ASIC extraction chips from Monero (XMR)

Guide ASICs Off Monero

Howard Chu, a leading developer of Monero is working to develop a solution that protects cryptography from specialized mining hardware called ASIC. Chu has already successfully developed a solution that will permanently keep ASICs out of the network. The solution is a test algorithm of the calling job RandomJS, which prevents the hardware from influencing "more things at the same time".

The interesting thing is that Chu may have come across the algorithm from his hobby of playing an Irish violin. Furthermore, Chu added that the algorithm he got from his musical practice was created. According to Chu, music and code are deeply connected to a neurological level that requires at the same time the logical and creative sides of the brain function. The result is an overlap between programming and musical talent. As Chu mentioned to CoinDesk, "Music is very mathematical, the basis of music is mathematics, but at the same time there is creativity in it."

Chu's algorithms use randomly generated code. ASICs can only be designed to work with code generated by an algorithm and therefore the algorithm would make ASICs rapidly incompatible and unprofitable. The developers believe that the production of ASIC would simply overlook the development of hardware for cryptocurrency projects.

Bitmain, which is interested in the ASIC block code, has aroused further interest in ASIC. Chu discussed that the Bitmain release of Antminer X3 in March was scheduled to run Monero's underlying network test algorithm, called cryptonight.

The developers of Monero then he began a "war on miners" promulgating emergency software updates to alter the cryptocurrency algorithm so that Antminer X3 would be useless for the protocol.

Since, The developers of Monero they are committed to regular changes to the software to remove the re-emerging hardware.

However, there is a risk that minor changes to the software that the platform has committed to are not sufficient to deter long-term hardware manufacturers. As a result, Chu has developed RandomJS as a more sustainable solution for cryptocurrency. Chu discussed the algorithm and declared: "RandomJS is coming to the problem from one direction that no one else is".

The Power of Random Math

Chu is a respected senior coder and architect of the OpenLDAP project, which is an open source database layer that underpins the telecommunications industry. In addition, Chu has been in Monero for 25 years.

Despite ASIC hardware produces software and develops optimized hardware to execute a specific algorithm, RandomJS he applied the opposite approach by analyzing the functions of the CPU hardware that underlies most consumer laptops and going out from there.

Chu expressed the challenge by trying to balance between the functions of a working test protocol – the time needed to calculate an algorithm and the speed with which it is verified.

An example is SHA 256m which is simple to verify, according to Chu – and too easy to calculate, which means it is commonplace to build hardware around it. As Chu mentioned at Coindesk,

"The cryptographic hash is really great to prove that something is genuine, but it's horrible as a unit of work because it's too easy." It's really easy to embed SHA 256 in a chip and clone thousands of these complete drives. "

So, RandomJS it makes the processing process more complex. Try to use the CPU functionality in a more holistic way, using blockchain data as input to generate random code. Chu explained,

"We take an input, which is the hash of the previous block, and we use it as seed for the pseudo-random number generator, so the data generate randomized algorithms written in JavaScript and when executed by the participating computers, they are submitted to hashes and added to the blockchain. "

And the algorithm itself is evaluated by the core team of Monero. As Chu argues, there are several things that delay adoption. For example, it can not currently work on the general purpose, or GPI, hardware that includes most of Monero's mining infrastructure. As a result, there is a lot of work to do.

At this point, Chu's algorithm is probably the most unique and artistic technique to block ASICs.