Ethereum mining will end this year, the developers say

Ethereum mining will end this year, developers say - 20201102 how to mine ethereum complete beginner's guideIn the last call (virtual meeting) of the Ethereum developers (quotation ETH), it was decided not to postpone the trouble bomb. The reason is that the merger, ie the final switch to version 2.0 of the network, could take place after the middle of this year.

The tests will go on

The difficulty bomb in Ethereum is a mechanism that makes mining more complicated with the aim of discouraging miners from mining, as they would see their rewards reduced. It is estimated that it could be activated on June 29, 2022.

During the latest developer call, held at the end of this week, attendees were hopeful that the merger - an event where the current Ethereum network will be combined with the new version - will take place over the summer (Northern Hemisphere ).

However, the decision not to return the bomb is not final. Over the next four weeks, various tests will be performed and, based on the results, a decision will be made on what to do. Tim Beiko, a developer with the Ethereum Foundation, explained:

“Realistically, we also have about four weeks to make a call. I think it is worthwhile to go ahead with the tests, see where we are in the process in two weeks and review it then "- Tim Beiko, developer of the Ethereum Foundation

The decision not to delay the difficulty pump, after much debate, was made after Ethereum Foundation researcher Danny Ryan explained why avoiding the delay is the best option. According to him, pushing the pump too far back could make it easier for a proof-of-stake version (which you want to remove) to live on Ethereum after the merge update goes live.

According to Christine Kim, a researcher at Galaxy Digital HQ, this argument is invalid. For her, having to make last-minute changes if necessary will cause "undue stress for the developers". She is convinced that the delay in agreeing on what to do is a matter of appearances.

"As far as the developers know that the merger will happen when it does, they probably don't want to be bombarded with other criticisms, hysteria and misleading media that say the merger won't happen, or that it will happen in December just because the bomb was pushed on that date." - Christina Kim, researcher at Galaxy Digital HQ.

New tests will determine Ethereum's near future

The implementation of the trouble pump was delayed several times. The latest of these delays was in December 2021, due to the fact that there were no conditions to definitively pass the participation test that Ethereum 2.0 brings with it.

Now, several tests of the fusion have already yielded positive results, and more experiments are planned for the next few days and weeks. If all goes according to plan, Beiko's advice, which a few days ago recommended to stop investing in Ethereum mining equipment, as it would soon become unprofitable, could prove valid.