Proof-of-Work Cryptocurrencies: Does Mining Technology Undermine Decentralization?

Abstract

Does the proof-of-work protocol serve its intended purpose of supporting decentralized cryptocurrency mining? To address this question, we develop a game-theoretical model where miners first invest in hardware to improve the efficiency of their operations, and then compete for mining rewards in a rent-seeking game. We argue that because of capacity constraints faced by miners, centralization in mining is lower than indicated by both public discourse and recent academic work. We show that advancements in hardware efficiency do not necessarily lead to larger miners increasing their advantage, but rather allow smaller miners to expand and new miners to enter the competition. Our calibrated model illustrates that hardware efficiency has a small impact on the cost of attacking a network, while the mining reward has a significant impact. This highlights the vulnerability of smaller and emerging cryptocurrencies, as well as of established cryptocurrencies transitioning to a fee-based mining reward scheme.