Bitcoin developers supporting BIP-110 are preparing to launch a new chain using BLAKE2b proof-of-work, with a target launch date of September 1. Having previously received little support from mainstream miners, this proposal has now shifted toward an independent fork.
Previously, the fork produced only two blocks.
BIP-110 was not originally a proposal to change the mining algorithm. It was initially a temporary soft fork intended to restrict how non-financial data is written to the Bitcoin blockchain, including large OP_RETURN outputs, script formats, and arbitrary data exceeding 256 consecutive bytes.
Supporters argue that such limits help alleviate storage pressure on nodes and allow Bitcoin to focus more on its role as money. Opponents believe that how block space is used should be determined by transaction fees and node policies.
However, when BIP-110 entered its enforcement phase in August, it received only about 2.53% support from miners. Its forked chain initially produced only two blocks, indicating that the vast majority of miners continued to remain on the existing Bitcoin main chain.
The new chain now uses BLAKE2b mining.
This planned network is not a direct activation of BIP-110 on the Bitcoin mainnet, but rather an independent hard-fork chain. It replaces Bitcoin’s SHA-256d mining algorithm with BLAKE2b and establishes its own on-chain assets.
This means existing Bitcoin mining hardware cannot directly switch its hashpower to the new network. Supporters hope to use this to break away from dependence on mainstream Bitcoin miners and establish a new mining community. The report notes that some devices designed for the Sia-related version of BLAKE2b may be compatible, but this does not guarantee sufficient miners will actually join.
Developers have scheduled a dry run prior to the official launch. If the test proceeds smoothly, the relevant results may be retained in Bitcoin Knots version 29.4.1 and advanced on September 1. If technical issues arise, a new candidate version may be required, and a rollback to the last SHA-256 block reprocessing may be necessary.
The exchange and wallet have not yet made a statement.
Prior to the plan’s launch, no major exchanges, mainstream wallets, or Lightning Network implementations have publicly committed to supporting this BLAKE2b fork chain. Without adequate infrastructure, the new assets created after the fork may lack clear pricing and may not quickly gain access to functional trading markets.
Another issue to monitor is replay protection. If the same transaction is valid on both chains, a transfer initiated by a user on one chain could theoretically be replayed on the other chain unless asset separation is performed in advance or additional protective measures are taken.
On August 31, discussions surrounding the fork plan also extended to social platforms. Loogart, a supporter of BIP-110, engaged in a debate with Ripple co-founder David Schwartz over the wording. Schwartz opposed describing the existing Bitcoin network as something requiring "fixing." The report also noted that this comment reflects only his personal opinion, and neither Ripple nor the XRP Ledger has been involved in the technical development of this proposal or the new chain.
Additional information: The report noted that September 1 is closer to the target launch time rather than an irreversible mainnet activation point; the final mainnet activation block height has not yet been confirmed until the drill is completed.