ASIC Resistance
ASIC resistance is a property of an algorithm where an ASIC gains nothing over a regular CPU. For an ASIC buyer it is a map of minefields.
What ASIC resistance is
An ASIC wins where the algorithm is simple and rigid: SHA-256 is computed as a pipeline of identical blocks, and a specialized chip does that orders of magnitude cheaper than a CPU. ASIC-resistant algorithms break that simplicity on purpose: they demand lots of memory, branching, random access.
The classic example is RandomX in Monero: the algorithm executes random programs, exactly the workload CPUs have been optimized for over decades. Building an ASIC for that means building a CPU, no advantage remains, and Monero is mined on CPUs.
Why coins do this: for the sake of decentralized mining. ASICs concentrate hashrate with those who can buy and host them, while CPU mining is open to anyone with a computer. That ideology has its own price: botnets of infected computers love CPU algorithms in particular.
For an ASIC buyer the flip side matters most: the community of a coin that declared war on ASICs can fork the algorithm and turn your hardware into a pumpkin with one update. It has happened, and more than once. So you buy an ASIC for coins where ASICs are welcome guests, not tolerated ones.
The short version
| Defense technique | memory, branching, random access |
| Classic example | RandomX in Monero, mined on CPU |
| Coins' motive | decentralized mining |
| The flip side | botnets love CPU algorithms |
| ASIC buyer's risk | an algorithm fork against ASICs |
What this means when buying
Check a coin's attitude toward ASICs before buying hardware: the fork history and the community mood, not only the calculator.
Do not buy an ASIC for a coin that promises to change its algorithm: the promise may come true before payback does.
Remember there are no ASICs for ASIC-resistant coins by definition: an offer of an "ASIC for Monero" is either confusion or a scam.
Diversify by algorithm deliberately: SHA-256 and Scrypt have lived with ASICs for a decade and are not walking away from them.
A case from history
Monero forked its algorithm several times specifically against ASICs, and the move to RandomX closed the question: a fresh ASIC for the old algorithm turned into a brick with one network update. The owners of that hardware paid for a lesson that is cheaper to learn on someone else's wallet: coin politics first, purchase second.
Related terms
Where to go next on the site
Algorithms
Coins
- Monero coins
Questions and answers
Does absolute ASIC resistance exist
Economic rather than technical: an ASIC can be built for almost anything, the question is the gain. RandomX holds because no gain is left.
Why did Bitcoin not make its algorithm resistant
The philosophy is the opposite: specialized hardware protects the network, you cannot mobilize it from a botnet or rent it from a cloud at network scale.
Does resistance mean a coin is profitable to mine on a CPU
Not necessarily: accessible mining also means everyone competing with everyone. Run the profitability numbers as soberly as you would for an ASIC.
How the terms connect
Every link in the chain is clickable. Orange marks where you are now.
Looking for an ASIC miner
The catalog holds 212 models. You can compare them by hashrate and by joules per terahash, then plug your own rate into the calculator and see what stays in your pocket.
Page written and checked by Denys Klimchuk. Updated .