Ethereum (ETH) core developers have reached a tentative consensus to implement a new proof-of-work (PoW) algorithm that would increase the efficiency of GPU-based — as opposed to ASIC-based — mining on the network. The development was discussed in a meeting today, Jan. 4.
During the meeting, developer Hudson Jameson noted he had heard “very little dissent” to implementing “ProgPoW,” which has so far been trialed via client implementations running on the “Gangnam” testnet. As previously reported, a testnet is essentially a simulated version of the primary network that allows developers to try out upgrades or run smart contracts without having to pay “gas” (computation fees) for their execution.