Bitcoin Blockchain Split Creates Rival Chain Over Non-Financial Data Limits
The Bitcoin blockchain has split into two competing chains as BIP-110 entered its enforcement phase. This development occurred on August 8, when nodes running BIP-110 began to require blocks to carry an approval signal.
Antpool, one of the largest mining pools in Bitcoin, produced a block without the required signal, but most nodes accepted it as valid. In contrast, computers enforcing BIP-110 rejected this block and recognized a different block produced by Roughnecks, a miner associated with Ocean.
The split has created a separate chain whose nodes reject blocks that do not contain the required approval signal, despite the proposal having very limited mining support. Currently, the main Bitcoin chain is ahead by seven blocks, indicating that the majority network retains a substantial advantage in mining power.
The long-term viability of the BIP-110 chain will depend on whether its miner base expands. If not, it may struggle to maintain consistent block production and eventually lose relevance.