BIP-110 Bitcoin Fork Grinds to Halt Amid Mining Difficulty Struggles

The BIP-110 Bitcoin fork has stalled after mining only two blocks in its first eight hours of operation. The minority chain, which separated from the main network on August 9, has produced a wide gap between the two ledgers, with the main chain adding 48 blocks during the same period.

The BIP-110 branch inherited Bitcoin's existing mining difficulty when it split, but its miners are struggling to keep up, with an estimated 350 days needed to reach the next difficulty adjustment. In contrast, Bitcoin normally completes this interval in around 14 days.

Supporters of the proposal argue that limiting non-financial data in transactions would reduce storage demands on node operators and focus block space on payments. However, critics reject this approach, saying users who pay transaction fees should be able to use block space for any valid transaction.