Skip to main content

ASIC Resistance

Definition

ASIC resistance refers to a cryptocurrency’s design characteristic that makes it impractical for specialized hardware, known as Application-Specific Integrated Circuits, to mine its tokens efficiently. This design aims to maintain decentralized mining by allowing general-purpose hardware, such as CPUs or GPUs, to remain competitive. It works by employing proof-of-work algorithms that are memory-intensive or otherwise unsuitable for ASIC optimization. The goal is to prevent mining centralization that could arise from the significant cost and performance advantages of ASICs.