Targeted Nakamoto: A Bitcoin Protocol to Balance Network Security and Carbon Emissions

Fuente: arXiv
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1. Verfasser: Aronoff, Daniel
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2024
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author Aronoff, Daniel
author_facet Aronoff, Daniel
contents In a Proof-of-Work blockchain such as Bitcoin mining hashrate is increasing in the block reward. An increase in hashrate reduces network vulnerability to attack (a reduction in security cost) while increasing carbon emissions and electricity cost (an increase in externalities cost). This implies a tradeoff in total cost at different levels of hashrate and the existence of a hashrate interval where total cost is minimized. Targeted Nakamoto is a Proof-of-Work protocol augmentation that incentivizes miners to hone in on a target hashrate interval. When hashrate is above target a ceiling is placed on the block reward a miner can receive. When hashrate is below target a floor is placed underneath the miner's block reward. Monetary neutrality is maintained by a proportional increase in spending potential among addresses holding UTXO's to match a deduction from total block reward when the ceiling is operative and a proportional reduction in spending potential among addresses holding UTXO's to match an increase over the total block reward when the floor is binding.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2405_15089
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Targeted Nakamoto: A Bitcoin Protocol to Balance Network Security and Carbon Emissions
Aronoff, Daniel
Cryptography and Security
91B03
C.2.1; C.2.2; C.2.4
In a Proof-of-Work blockchain such as Bitcoin mining hashrate is increasing in the block reward. An increase in hashrate reduces network vulnerability to attack (a reduction in security cost) while increasing carbon emissions and electricity cost (an increase in externalities cost). This implies a tradeoff in total cost at different levels of hashrate and the existence of a hashrate interval where total cost is minimized. Targeted Nakamoto is a Proof-of-Work protocol augmentation that incentivizes miners to hone in on a target hashrate interval. When hashrate is above target a ceiling is placed on the block reward a miner can receive. When hashrate is below target a floor is placed underneath the miner's block reward. Monetary neutrality is maintained by a proportional increase in spending potential among addresses holding UTXO's to match a deduction from total block reward when the ceiling is operative and a proportional reduction in spending potential among addresses holding UTXO's to match an increase over the total block reward when the floor is binding.
title Targeted Nakamoto: A Bitcoin Protocol to Balance Network Security and Carbon Emissions
topic Cryptography and Security
91B03
C.2.1; C.2.2; C.2.4
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2405.15089