The Evolution of Mining $BTC šŖš§
2009: The Beginning of Mining
Bitcoin mining started simply. Anyone with a regular computer could mine using the processor (CPU). The first mined block was the Genesis Block, creating the first reward of 50 BTC.
2010: The GPU Revolution š®
With the increase in difficulty, miners began using graphics cards (GPUs), which were more efficient. Laszlo Hanyecz, one of the first, made the first purchase with Bitcoin: two pizzas for 10,000 BTC.
2011-2013: The ASIC Era ā”
Mining evolved to ASICs, specialized circuits for mining Bitcoin, rendering GPUs obsolete. The first mining pools also emerged, allowing collaboration among miners.
2014 onward: Professionalization and Halvings š¢
Mining became industrialized, dominated by large companies with data centers. Halvings, events that reduce the reward by half, made mining even more challenging.
Today: Mining requires large investments, cheap energy, and specialized equipment, which is crucial for the security and decentralization of the Bitcoin network.