New ASIC breaches Bitcoin Gold ASIC defense

Bitcoin Gold (BTG) was one of the first projects to have recognized the dangerously rapid performance of application-integrated circuits (ASICs) which are made to mine digital currency. The initial - and, for a time period, successful plan of the team was to move Bitcoin from the well-known SHA-256 algorithm to Equihash. The new device called Antminer Z9 and produced by Bitmain, as it seems from the messages coming from the related media, can mine Bitcoin Gold and violate one of the main principles of this cryptocurrency.

Antminer Z9 is likely not the last device to have been produced with such properties, and it alone can change situation in favor of the rich miners, the press implies. Looks like that developers are not in haste to withdraw the actual plan to deal with the issue. Instead, they simply state they would either modify Equihash or move to a new algorithm, or maybe even do both.

The price of Bitcoin Gold has been in a visible decline since January 14 2018, and recently it has dropped from $83 to $68. It may drop to even cheaper values unless the development team comes up with a credible plan to counter new mining rigs and related technologies.

Image courtesy of YouTube / Crushit