Over the previous year, Ether (ETH) has increased in value to the point that it significantly outperformed Bitcoin (BTC) in terms of returns. The rise of Ethereum has made mining on its network more lucrative over time. This appears to have resulted in additional miners, resulting in an expansion of the network's hash rate.
The hash rate for Ethereum has hit a new high, approaching record levels of 1.11 PH/s according to data from Glassnodes on Jan. 27. The previous ATH was reached previously on Jan. 13, when the ETH price fell from $4,460 to $3,160.
Source: Glassnodes
When the hash rate rises, it indicates that more nodes are joining the network, and the network is becoming more decentralized. As a result, such an increase helps to cement blockchain security. However, if the hash rate is too low, it may be detrimental to the network since there would be fewer nodes, resulting in slow transactions and less security.
In December 2021, Ethereum network participants implemented the Arrow Glacier upgrade, which pushed back the switch to proof of stake consensus. It also means that Ethereum mining has a long way to go before it comes to an end. A transition from the proof of work (PoW) algorithm to the Proof of Stake (PoS) algorithm is required before reaching ETH2, which is referred to as The Merge. At that moment, the difficulty bomb will go off, essentially shutting down ETH mining and putting the network into an "ice age" that lasts until the switch is completed.
After the switch to proof-of-stake, however, ETH will no longer be mined; instead, transactions will be validated by staking on special nodes.
Presently, the network's hash rate has increased past one petahash. The number is equivalent to around 1,000 TH/s and indicates that the network's hash rate has risen more than 66,000% since March 2016, when it began being recorded on the network.
As reported by Cointelegraph, the Ethereum Foundation criticized the branding of Eth2, saying it did not adequately reflect what was going on with the network during its round of upgrades. "ETH2" and the terminology used to distinguish a proof-of-stake chain from a proof-of-work chain may be phased out in the near future, according to the post.
Among the reasons for the shift are a bad mental model for first-time users, scam prevention, inclusion, and stake clarity. The switch from a PoW to a PoS consensus mechanism is scheduled to occur in the second or third quarter of this year.
Information on these pages contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Markets and instruments profiled on this page are for informational purposes only and should not in any way come across as a recommendation to buy or sell in these assets. You should do your own thorough research before making any investment decisions. FXStreet does not in any way guarantee that this information is free from mistakes, errors, or material misstatements. It also does not guarantee that this information is of a timely nature. Investing in Open Markets involves a great deal of risk, including the loss of all or a portion of your investment, as well as emotional distress. All risks, losses and costs associated with investing, including total loss of principal, are your responsibility. The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of FXStreet nor its advertisers.
Recommended Content
Editors’ Picks
Prisma price tanks 25% after nearly $9 million exploit
Prisma Finance (PRISMA) is being exploited, and the attacker has so far pulled $9 million in Ethereum from the borrowing protocol. Prisma asked vault owners to take the necessary steps to protect funds from the ongoing attack in an official tweet on X.
Meme coins gain traction after SEC’s partial win in Coinbase lawsuit: DOGE, SHIB, BRETT, POPCAT, BODEN
US SEC pocketed a partial win in its lawsuit against Coinbase, ushering a correction in crypto prices on Thursday. Despite the broad pullback, prices of meme coins like Dogecoin, Shiba Inu and Solana-based BRETT, POPCAT and BODEN increased.
Ondo moves $95 million worth of OUSG assets to BUIDL as tokenized fund attracts $245 million since debut
Ondo Finance (ONDO) announced on Wednesday that it's shifting about $95 million worth of its OUSG's underlying assets to the BlackRock USD Institutional Digital Liquidity Fund (BUIDL).
XRP price stuck below $0.65 resistance, Ripple lawsuit could suffer from Coinbase defeat
XRP price falls slightly to $0.61 on Thursday after its landmark programmatic sales ruling in July, which gave Ripple a partial victory against the US SEC, failed to reverberate in a similar legal battle between the regulator and crypto exchange Coinbase.
Bitcoin: BTC may have recovered, but is it out of the woods?
Bitcoin’s (BTC) upward momentum has shown a significant decline for the past two weeks or so. This development led to a bearish signal on the weekly and an uncertain outlook on the monthly.