An Easy Guide to Chia’s Big Upgrade
You’re likely part of the Chia community because you believe in a greener, more decentralized digital currency, secured by our innovative Proof of Space. We’re constantly working behind the scenes to improve the Chia blockchain, and we’re excited to share a significant upgrade coming soon: a proposed new version of our Proof of Space protocol (PoS 2.0), designed to enhance security, improve energy efficiency, and establish an even more durable foundation for the future. Think of this change like upgrading the engine of a reliable car to make it more powerful and fuel-efficient for the long run. This new PoS evolution is designed to make Chia farming even more sustainable, more secure against powerful attackers, and simpler for everyone.
Why This New Version?
You might be wondering, “Why upgrade our existing Proof of Space?” Well, just like technology keeps improving, so do the ways we can make Chia more durable and more efficient. It’s important to note that this upgrade focuses on the Proof of Space aspect of the Chia consensus mechanism Proof of Space and Time (PoST). The Proof of Time (VDF) component is not part of this particular proposed upgrade. This new PoS version tackles a few important things:
- More Eco-Friendly Farming: While Chia’s original PoS is significantly greener than Proof of Work, the emergence of highly optimized compressed plots has introduced increased ongoing energy demands. PoS 2.0 is engineered to mitigate this further, shifting the energy cost towards the initial setup (plotting) rather than continuous harvesting.
- More Secure: As computers get more powerful, we need to ensure Chia’s defenses evolve to stay resistant to advanced attackers. PoS 2.0 incorporates even more robust defenses to significantly increase the cost and difficulty for anyone trying to cheat the system, ensuring your XCH and the network are even safer.
- A Clearer, More Stable Future: While Chia has always used Proof of Space, PoS 2.0 will eventually lead to one standard, long-lasting way of farming, making things simpler and more stable for all farmers in the long run.
Introducing the “Quality Chain”: A Smart Way to Secure Chia
The heart of PoS 2.0 is something called the “Quality Chain.” Imagine it like a super-smart way for your farm to prove it’s contributing to the network without constantly working hard. Here’s a simple idea:
- Special Puzzle Pieces: Your farm stores special “puzzle pieces” on your hard drive.
- Network Challenges: The Chia network sends out puzzles.
- Smart Matching: Your farm quickly checks if its puzzle pieces fit the network’s puzzle in a clever way that doesn’t use much energy.
- Winning the Reward: The only time your farm needs to do a bit more work is when it finds a really good match (a high-quality chain of these puzzle pieces). The extra work will determine if your farm is eligible to create a block and win a reward.
This “Quality Chain” system makes it very difficult for attackers to fake having a large farm, and it keeps the energy use for regular farmers very low.
What Does This Mean for You? The Replotting Journey
The biggest thing you’ll need to know is that eventually, you will need to create new plots using the PoS 2.0 format. Think of your current plots like the older chassis of our car – still good for now, but the new chassis will be much better in the long run.
Timeline and Rollout Schedule (as of May 19, 2025):
Here’s what we know about the plan for rolling out PoS 2.0:
- Phase 1: Announcement and Tools (Now – Next Few Months): We’re starting to talk about this proposed upgrade now to keep you informed. Over the next few months, the Chia Network team will be releasing new software tools (plotters and harvesters) that can create and use these new “Quality Chain” plots. You’ll be able to start experimenting with creating these new plots while your old plots continue to farm.
- Phase 2: Hard Fork Activation (Targeting Late 2025 – Early 2026): There will be a specific date when the Chia network will undergo a “hard fork.” This is like a coordinated upgrade where everyone’s Chia software needs to be updated. After this point, the network will start recognizing and accepting blocks and pool contributions from the new “Quality Chain” plots. The current plan is for Chia 3.0 containing the new PoS to be released in the summer of 2025 with the hard fork activation being the block after block height 8,800,000 which is expected to be on June 1, 2026. These dates are subject to change and debate with the latest information available in the associated CHIP-49.
- Phase 3: Phased Deprecation of Old Plots (Post Hard Fork – Over Time): After the hard fork, your old plots will still work for a while. However, over time, the network will start to favor the new plots. There will be a clear timeline announced for when the old plot format will no longer be supported. This will give everyone plenty of time to replot. The current plan is for an 8.5 month phase in period to start at time of hard fork activation. These dates are subject to change and debate with the latest information available in the associated CHIP-49.
Next Steps and Your Feedback:
The detailed schedule for the hard fork and the phasing out of the old plot format will be outlined in a dedicated Chia Improvement Proposal (CHIP). Once this CHIP is released, you’ll find specific dates and further technical details about the rollout. We encourage all community members to review CHIP-49 and provide your valuable feedback. Your input and achieving general technical consensus is crucial as we navigate this important upgrade.
For those of you who like to dive into the details, we’ve also got a more technical deep dive in a blog post. Plus, you can check out all the nitty-gritty specs of the new technical CHIP-48.
Important Points to Remember:
- No Immediate Action Needed: You don’t need to do anything right away. Keep farming with your current plots.
- Advance Notice: You will get plenty of notice before the hard fork and the eventual end of support for old plots.
- New Software Will Be Available: The necessary software to create the new plots will be released well in advance.
- A Gradual Transition: This will be a step-by-step process to ensure a smooth transition for the entire community.
The Future is Bright (and Even Greener!)
This upgrade to PoS 2.0 is a significant step forward for Chia Network. It reinforces our commitment to being a green, secure, and decentralized digital currency for the long term. While it will require some effort to replot eventually, this change will lead to a more efficient and robust Chia network for everyone.
Stay tuned to the official Chia Network channels (blog, Discord, social media) for the latest updates, detailed guides, and specific timelines as we move through this exciting transition!