{"id":10952,"date":"2023-07-26T04:12:25","date_gmt":"2023-07-26T04:12:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/?p=10952"},"modified":"2025-09-10T15:21:22","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T15:21:22","slug":"how-long-can-eth-be-mined","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/en\/how-long-can-eth-be-mined","title":{"rendered":"How long can ETH be mined?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-transparent ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Alternar tabla de contenidos\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #ffffff;color:#ffffff\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #ffffff;color:#ffffff\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 eztoc-toggle-hide-by-default' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/en\/how-long-can-eth-be-mined\/#estimated_dates_and_their_consequences\" >Estimated dates and their consequences<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/en\/how-long-can-eth-be-mined\/#merge_and_its_effects\" >Merge and its effects<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/en\/how-long-can-eth-be-mined\/#the_difficulty_pump_and_the_end_of_mining\" >The difficulty pump and the end of mining<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/en\/how-long-can-eth-be-mined\/#what_is_the_difficulty_pump\" >What is the difficulty pump?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/en\/how-long-can-eth-be-mined\/#the_ice_age\" >The Ice Age<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/en\/how-long-can-eth-be-mined\/#expectations_vs_reality\" >Expectations vs. reality<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/en\/how-long-can-eth-be-mined\/#final_thoughts_and_closing\" >Final thoughts and closing<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Tiempo de lectura:<\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 5<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutos<\/span><\/span><p><strong>Ethereum 2.0\u2026<\/strong>\u00a0it\u2019s not here yet, but we continually find ourselves theorizing or speculating about the big upgrade to<strong>\u00a0the second largest network in terms of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/en\/what-is-market-capitalization-its-use-in-crypto\/\">market capitalization<\/a>.<\/strong><br \/>\nThe waters are divided between those who want it to be a fact to enjoy its benefits, the users, those who wish it to be a resounding failure, the detractors, and those who wish it never materializes, the\u00a0<strong>miners<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p>From the Ethereum Foundation they released the date when Ethereum 2.0 will become a reality and this pushes us to ask ourselves\u00a0<strong>until when ETH can be mined.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In this article, I will shed light on this issue, generator of an expectation rarely seen in the crypto ecosystem, and explain why\u00a0<strong>December will bring the end of Ethereum mining.<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"is-divider divider clearfix\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"is-divider divider clearfix\"><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"estimated_dates_and_their_consequences\"><\/span><strong>Estimated dates and their consequences<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>In an\u00a0<strong>interview with Lex Fridman<\/strong>, published in June of this year,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/en\/who-is-vitalik-buterin\/\">Vitalik Buterin<\/a>, undoubtedly the most important and prominent among the\u00a0<strong>co-creators of Ethereum<\/strong>, commented that\u00a0<strong>\u201cthe Ethereum merge\u201d would take place in the first quarter of 2022.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>The merge is the process by which the Ethereum main chain will be unified with the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/en\/what-is-beacon-chain\/\">Beacon Chain<\/a>.<\/strong>\u00a0With this unification, one of the most important changes of ETH 2.0 will materialize,<strong>\u00a0which is the move from<\/strong>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/en\/what-is-proof-of-work-the-bitcoin-consensus-protocol\/\">Proof of Work<\/a>\u00a0consensus to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/en\/what-is-proof-of-stake-and-how-does-it-work\/\">Proof of Stake<\/a>\u00a0consensus. Subsequently we will be left waiting for the \u201c<strong>sharding<\/strong>\u201c, but there we get tangled up with material for another article.<\/p>\n<p>However, a few weeks ago the crypto environment was completely surprised when\u00a0<strong>from the Ethereum Foundation announced that the activation of \u201cthe difficulty bomb\u201d was brought forward by 6 months, with an expected date of December 2021.<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>From there we can conclude, thanks to this news, that the last month of the year will not only bring the holidays, but also the end of Ethereum mining.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Now, it is necessary to dismember this information to understand why it is this news that gives us the date of the end of ETH mining.<\/p>\n<div class=\"is-divider divider clearfix\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"is-divider divider clearfix\"><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"merge_and_its_effects\"><\/span><strong>Merge and its effects<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>From the moment of the network\u2019s birth, within its roadmap, it was foreseen that\u00a0<strong>ETH<\/strong>\u00a0mining would have an end point. This end was marked by the change in the consensus by which the chain creates and validates its blocks.\u00a0<strong>Therefore, many miners are already wondering what to mine after\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/en\/what-to-mine-after-eth-2-0\/\">Ethereum 2.0<\/a>?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The\u00a0<strong>Proof of Work<\/strong>\u00a0consensus generates a debate around the sustainability of the crypto ecosystem, as a result of energy consumption, which is difficult to get out of. Therefore, the transition to a\u00a0<strong>Proof of Stake<\/strong>\u00a0consensus was foreseen in a future that was not thought to be so distant at the time.<\/p>\n<p>Vitalik and his team thought of\u00a0<strong>ETH 2.0<\/strong>\u00a0as a big event in which all the changes in the network would happen together, but reality presented them with a different situation. We had to wait until the second half of 2020 to see the\u00a0<strong>Ethereum Proof of Stake<\/strong>\u00a0chain \u201ctestnet\u201d working and by the end of the year we could only enjoy the \u201c<strong>Beacon Chain<\/strong>\u201d and start depositing the famous 32\u00a0<strong>ETH<\/strong>\u00a0that allow us to participate as a validator of the network.<\/p>\n<p>However, there is still one more step to go before the consensus transfer is complete, and that step is the \u201c<strong>merge<\/strong>\u201c.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cMerge\u201d, which can be translated into English as \u201cunion\u201d, is precisely the process by which both chains, the Proof of Work chain and the Proof of Stake chain, will join and Ethereum will finally be a Proof of Stake chain in which it will be enough to deposit 32 ETH as a guarantee, download the necessary software and comply with the stipulated rules, to become a validator of the network and receive the benefits that come from the creation of blocks.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>So, once the two chains are unified, will everything be solved? Of course not, and it is this question that gives rise to the next topic to be analyzed.<\/p>\n<div id=\"image_1251894829\" class=\"img has-hover x md-x lg-x y md-y lg-y\">\n<div class=\"img-inner dark\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"attachment-large size-large lazyloaded\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Hasta-cuando-se-podr%C3%A1-minar-Ethereum1.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Hasta-cuando-se-podr\u00e1-minar-Ethereum1.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Hasta-cuando-se-podr\u00e1-minar-Ethereum1-300x205.jpg 300w\" alt=\"Hasta-cuando-se-podr\u00e1-minar-Ethereum\" width=\"768\" height=\"526\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Hasta-cuando-se-podr\u00e1-minar-Ethereum1.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Hasta-cuando-se-podr\u00e1-minar-Ethereum1-300x205.jpg 300w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Hasta-cuando-se-podr\u00e1-minar-Ethereum1.jpg\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"is-divider divider clearfix\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"is-divider divider clearfix\"><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"the_difficulty_pump_and_the_end_of_mining\"><\/span><strong>The difficulty pump and the end of mining<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The current Ethereum network miners perform their activity by means of specific software that they downloaded and must keep updated.\u00a0<strong>When the merge occurs, to participate in the network with the new consensus it will be necessary to update this software.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>But how will it be possible to achieve this coordination without reaching a de facto imposition? From the Ethereum Foundation, they found the way and it is through the activation of the difficulty bomb<\/strong>, a resource that will be used in December and will usher in a new era.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"what_is_the_difficulty_pump\"><\/span><strong>What is the difficulty pump?<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Ethereum\u2019s Proof of Work consensus, unlike Bitcoin\u2019s, is programmed in such a way that its difficulty is matched so that each block in the network is produced a time ranging from 10 to 20 seconds.<\/p>\n<p>However, there is a resource called the<strong>\u00a0\u201cdifficulty pump\u201d, which produces such an increase in difficulty that it generates a noticeable delay in the time in which a block is produced.<\/strong><br \/>\nThis resource has been used in case of \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/en\/what-is-a-hard-fork\/\">hard fork<\/a>\u201c, with the aim of discouraging the use of a chain, making it extremely slow, in terms of block production, thus making it unprofitable for miners and too slow for users, and thus making miners adapt to a new chain.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Thus, in the month of December, this mechanism will be activated, which will result in such a delay that it will not make any sense to continue using Ethereum\u2019s Proof of Work chain, both for miners and users, and the migration to the new Proof of Stake chain will end up being adopted.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"the_ice_age\"><\/span><strong>The Ice Age<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>In this way, what\u00a0<strong>the Ethereum community called \u201cthe ice age\u201d will begin.<\/strong><br \/>\n<strong>From the moment the difficulty bomb is activated, the current Ethereum blockchain will stop producing blocks, being \u201cfrozen\u201d, and it will be impossible to mine ETH again.<\/strong><\/p>\n<div id=\"image_1404692795\" class=\"img has-hover x md-x lg-x y md-y lg-y\">\n<div class=\"img-inner dark\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"attachment-large size-large lazyloaded\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Hasta-cuando-se-podr%C3%A1-minar-Ethereum.jpg\" sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Hasta-cuando-se-podr\u00e1-minar-Ethereum.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Hasta-cuando-se-podr\u00e1-minar-Ethereum-300x205.jpg 300w\" alt=\"Hasta-cuando-se-podr\u00e1-minar-Ethereum\" width=\"768\" height=\"526\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Hasta-cuando-se-podr\u00e1-minar-Ethereum.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Hasta-cuando-se-podr\u00e1-minar-Ethereum-300x205.jpg 300w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/10\/Hasta-cuando-se-podr\u00e1-minar-Ethereum.jpg\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"is-divider divider clearfix\"><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"expectations_vs_reality\"><\/span><strong>Expectations vs. reality<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The arrival of\u00a0<strong>Ethereum 2.0<\/strong>\u00a0has been<strong>\u00a0expected<\/strong>\u00a0probably\u00a0<strong>since 2016<\/strong>\u00a0and has received multiple reprogrammings that are partly due, in\u00a0<strong>Vitalik\u2019s<\/strong>\u00a0own words, to underestimates by the\u00a0<strong>Ethereum Foundation<\/strong>\u00a0team regarding the complexity of the developments that this update brings with it.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Given the background, it is not at all unusual for skepticism to be in the air,\u00a0<\/strong>especially among those who are not sympathetic to the project or have been hit by disillusionment with failed announcements in the past,\u00a0<strong>but, in my view, this time there are serious indications of a different resolution.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Just a few days ago, on\u00a0<strong>October 8<\/strong>\u00a0to be precise,\u00a0<strong>it was confirmed by the Ethereum Foundation<\/strong>, through a photo in which the team, including Vitalik, can be seen applauding and celebrating in front of a screen showing a few lines of code that signify that\u00a0<strong>the merge was successfully developed in a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/en\/what-is-testnet-and-how-does-it-work\/\">testnet<\/a>. This is an encouraging result and marks a remarkable milestone in the race towards ETH 2.0.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"is-divider divider clearfix\"><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"final_thoughts_and_closing\"><\/span><strong>Final thoughts and closing<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><strong>In short, everything indicates that if the changes to be implemented in the Ethereum network are successful, miners will be able to mine ETH until the merge takes place in December and, consequently, we will see the difficulty pump activated.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Once again, as on so many occasions, there will be no choice but to sit back and wait for the results of the hard work of\u00a0<strong>Ethereum<\/strong>\u00a0developers and in the meantime, so as not to lose the habit, continue to enjoy the endless possibilities that the crypto world gives us every day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Tiempo de lectura:<\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 5<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutos<\/span><\/span>Ethereum 2.0\u2026\u00a0it\u2019s not here yet, but we continually find ourselves theorizing or speculating about the big upgrade to\u00a0the second largest network in terms of\u00a0market capitalization. The waters are divided between those who want it to be a fact to enjoy its benefits, the users, those who wish it to be a resounding failure, the detractors, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":6713,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[165],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10952","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cryptocurrencies"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10952","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10952"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10952\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24605,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10952\/revisions\/24605"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6713"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10952"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10952"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bitnovo.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10952"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}