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Proof of Work

August 22, 2026 · Aditya Gupta

Crypto & Blockchain

Proof of Work (PoW) is the original blockchain consensus mechanism — used by Bitcoin and Dogecoin — where miners compete to solve computationally expensive cryptographic puzzles. The first to solve gets to add the next block and receive the reward. PoW provides extremely strong security at high energy cost. Bitcoin's network requires enormous electricity (comparable to mid-sized countries). Specialized hardware (ASICs) makes mining industrial-scale. Critics highlight environmental cost; supporters argue PoW provides the most credibly neutral, censorship-resistant consensus possible. Ethereum migrated from PoW to Proof of Stake in 2022, reducing energy consumption 99%+.

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