Key Takeaways
- The alternative chain enforcing BIP-110 remains frozen at block 961,633, while Bitcoin’s primary chain has progressed to block 961,744āa difference of 111 blocks
- During the prior period, merely 51 out of 2,016 blocks showed support for the proposal (2.53%), with no blocks signaling since the enforcement phase started
- Both blocks on the BIP-110 chain were mined by an anonymous collective known as Roughnecks via Ocean’s DATUM protocol
- Strategy’s Michael Saylor calculates that approximately 99.85% of Bitcoin’s mining power remained loyal to the original chain
- Given the current mining resources, the alternative fork might require approximately 25 years to complete its initial difficulty recalibration
The Bitcoin fork implementing BIP-110 has come to a virtual standstill after mining only two blocks. This alternative chain has remained motionless at block 961,633 since this past Saturday, even as Bitcoin’s original network has continued its regular progression without interruption.
By Sunday afternoon, the distance separating the two networks had expanded to 111 blocks, growing from 88 blocks earlier that same day. The BIP-110 chain has failed to produce any additional blocks for approximately 17 hours.
This divergence occurred when BIP-110 transitioned into its compulsory signaling stage at block 961,632 on August 8. Network nodes enforcing this specification started refusing any block lacking explicit support signaling via version bit 4.
An anonymous mining coalition identifying as Roughnecks generated both existing BIP-110 blocks through Ocean’s DATUM mining infrastructure. Ocean’s dedicated BIP-110 endpoint indicated roughly 257 PH/s of computational power, yet no third block has materialized.
Before the enforcement phase commenced, the proposal had garnered minimal backing. A mere 51 blocks out of the preceding 2,016-block difficulty epoch signaled approval for BIP-110, representing just 2.53%. Following the opening of the mandatory window, the dominant chain has seen zero supportive signals across the 113 blocks mined.
The Technical Barriers Preventing Progress
The fundamental challenge stems from Bitcoin’s difficulty recalibration mechanism. When the chains separated, the BIP-110 branch carried forward the identical mining difficulty as the primary network, presently configured at 127.48 trillion. With negligible computational resources targeting the enforcement branch, discovering new blocks requires exponentially longer than Bitcoin’s standard ten-minute target.
Difficulty recalibration occurs exclusively after completing an entire 2,016-block cycle. Given that the BIP-110 branch has managed only two blocks in its current cycle, approximately 2,000 additional blocks must be found before any adjustment can provide relief.
Strategy executive chairman Michael Saylor projected on X that roughly 99.85% of Bitcoin’s total hashpower remained committed to the original chain. His analysis further suggests that with merely 0.15% of Bitcoin’s mining capacity, the alternative fork might require around 25 years to complete its first difficulty adjustment. These calculations represent Saylor’s personal estimates.
Saylor had earlier indicated alignment with BIP-110’s objectives while opposing its implementation strategy, contending it jeopardizes Bitcoin’s neutral consensus framework. Blockstream’s CEO Adam Back cautioned that this modification could undermine Bitcoin’s reliability and possibly render certain transaction outputs permanently unusable.
Advocates of BIP-110, including Bitcoin Knots maintainer Luke Dashjr, maintain that the fork represents a crucial step toward restricting non-financial data accumulation within Bitcoin blocks.
Transaction Replay Vulnerability Affects Early Adopters
An additional practical concern exists for individuals holding Bitcoin from before the chain split. BIP-110 lacks integrated replay protection mechanisms. Bitcoin developer Kevin Loaec cautioned that attempting to transfer coins on the minority chain without first isolating balances could inadvertently expose identical coins on the primary network.
Compulsory signaling persists through block 963,647 according to the BIP-110 schedule. The specification is structured to achieve a locked-in status at block 963,648 and become active one difficulty epoch thereafter. While these benchmarks are accessible for the main chain, they remain distant prospects for the stagnant BIP-110 branch.
Engineers associated with the initiative have also drafted backup code enabling a potential proof-of-work algorithm modification. No implementation timeline has been established.
As of Sunday afternoon, the BIP-110 branch remained without a third block, and the dominant chain continued showing zero supportive signals throughout the new difficulty cycle.
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