DeutschThe unwanted emergence of ASICs is putting pressure on Monero’s decentralized network. The developers responded and recently released a new version of the mining algorithm. RandomX version 2.0 is intended to close previous vulnerabilities. Expert Hugo Quinterio believes: Securing the network could be linked to ongoing work in the long term.
Monero Under Pressure: How RandomX 2.0 Is Supposed to Help Now
Monero, the largest privacy coin in the crypto market, is under pressure. A Chinese company is attempting to break the RandomX mining algorithm. The blockchain developers are responding and releasing RandomX version 2.0.
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In September 2023, the Chinese company Bitmine introduced its Antminer X5. What’s special: It was the first optimized miner (ASIC) for RandomX—a mining algorithm specifically designed to prevent optimizations of this kind.
In January 2026, Bitmain announced it would expand the product line for Monero with the Antminer X9. This should make mining XMR even more efficient. However, the Monero developers are now targeting the approach of the Beijing-based company.
RandomX 2.0 was already released on March 25. This addresses disadvantages of the previous version that enabled the creation of Monero ASICs in the first place, says crypto expert Hugo Quinteiro.
“That’s the core of the matter: Version 2.0 doesn’t seem to be an attempt to eliminate every form of specialization. It looks more like an effort to remove some unintended advantages that benefited hardware in version 1.0 that was too narrowly tuned to a specific profile,” he writes.
This limits the relative advantage that ASICs like the Antminer X5 and X9 were able to achieve, Quinteiro explains. While the two machines can still be used to mine XMR, their performance is no longer excessively high.
Why Monero Could Face a Mining Conflict
Monero has taken a unique approach to mining since its inception. Initially, the blockchain used the CryptoNight algorithm. However, it had weaknesses in preventing ASICs, which led to the introduction of the improved RandomX algorithm in 2019.
Monero’s mining concept differs significantly from other major cryptocurrencies. To make Monero as decentralized and resilient as possible, centralization of mining should be prevented.
For Monero developers, the Bitcoin network serves as the prime negative example. A few mining centers control large portions of its computing power. These centers are relatively easy to locate. To shut down the entire Bitcoin network, only a few mining centers would need to be disabled.
Monero’s approach is to spread the network as widely as possible through a simple, low-demand algorithm. RandomX can be effectively run on any device with a CPU. This keeps home mining an attractive option. As a result, the network has many individual miners and cannot realistically be shut down.
According to Quinteiro, work on RandomX must continue permanently to ensure the network’s decentralization. Bitmain will simply respond to RandomX 2.0 with “new optimizations,” he predicts.
Monero’s developers could be forced to constantly subject the algorithm to new changes to prevent ASIC optimization. The frequency and extent of these changes is questionable, Quinteiro writes.
“Politically and economically, this conflict is more interesting than it may appear at first glance. If the code protects too strongly and requires frequent changes to maintain the gap from specialized hardware, this creates costs for the entire network. Too few changes, on the other hand, lead to the emergence of ASICs,” the expert argues.
