On February 27, 2026, The Chia Project announced on X that it had opened community review for Proof of Space 2.0 in this official post , followed by full technical details in its blog, "Changes Coming to 3.0". The update proposes eliminating plot compression, introducing a new format, and mandating a replot during migration. Early X replies show positive sentiment, with users posting "Keep building!" and "is about time," reflecting community support for the decentralization push.
What Is Changing in Proof of Space 2.0
Compressed Plots Are Proposed for Removal
The new format eliminates support for compressed plots, which currently allow GPU-based reconstruction for 15-30% space savings but inflate effective netspace by 10-20% and undermine storage dominance. Legacy plots will phase out over a transition period, becoming invalid post-fork.
Standardized Plot Format and Strength Setting
Proof of Space 2.0 standardizes plots at a fixed k28 size (~1 GiB per plot), replacing variable k-sizes. A configurable "strength" parameter (0-8) shifts compute to the one-time plotting phase: each level doubles creation time but halves disk access during farming, enabling energy-efficient HDD shutdowns (1-4 spins/day).
Filter and Grouping Adjustments
Building on these changes, a base filter starts at 512 (halving over years to 1), while effective filters double per strength level (capped at 8192). Grouping allows up to 65,536 plots (~65 TiB) to sync filter passes, with meta-groups (up to 256 per disk) balancing load and curbing grinding exploits.
Why Chia Is Proposing the Upgrade
Compression has reintroduced compute advantages, eroding Chia's storage-first design and lowering decentralization metrics. The upgrade enforces space-weighted voting, targeting a Nakamoto Coefficient above 100 and raising attack costs—e.g., spoofing 1 EiB could require billions in hardware, with grinding vectors eliminated.
Proposed Rollout and Migration Timeline
The rollout is phased, subject to community feedback on CHIPs-48 and -49 via GitHub and Discord:
| Phase | Description | Estimated Timing |
|---|---|---|
| Community Review | Feedback on specs and implementation | Feb 2026 onward |
| Chia 3.0 Release | New plotters and harvesters; legacy valid | Q2 2026 (in months) |
| Hard Fork Activation | New format eligible at block 9,562,000 | ~6 months post-release (~Aug 2026) |
| Transition Window | Legacy weight declines linearly to zero | 256 days post-fork |
| Full Deprecation | Only PoS 2.0 plots contribute | Early 2027 |
Potential Network Effects During Transition
Netspace and Reward Volatility
Replotting may cause a 10-20% netspace contraction as farmers migrate, temporarily boosting rewards for early adopters but introducing XCH volatility—empirical from prior compression shifts.
Hardware Throughput Gaps
Plotting speeds at minimum strength vary widely, potentially favoring well-equipped operators:
| Hardware | Speed (TiB/day) |
|---|---|
| RTX 5090 | ~80 |
| RTX 4090 | ~60 |
| RTX 3060 | ~20 |
| High-End CPU | ~2 |
Security Budget Dynamics
By closing time-space tradeoffs, the upgrade surges attack costs and improves distribution—outcomes depend on post-fork netspace and participation (~70-80% pooled currently).
Why This Matters for DeFi and On-Chain Assets
For DeFi users, the transition enhances base-layer predictability, reducing risks in XCH-denominated lending or liquidity pools amid migration volatility. In RWAs, a stronger Nakamoto Coefficient bolsters auditability for asset tokenization, appealing to institutions—success hinges on measurable post-upgrade metrics.
What to Watch Next
- Finalized CHIP parameters and fork details.
- Verified compression impact on current netspace.
- Plotting benchmarks across hardware.
- Netspace trends and reward shifts during migration.
- Effects on XCH liquidity and DeFi yields.
Editor’s Notes
Unresolved questions
- Exact Chia 3.0 release date and final block height (proposed 9,562,000, under review).
- Community consensus on transition length (256 days proposed).
- Projected Nakamoto Coefficient calculation post-upgrade.
Facts to verify
- Real-world plotting speeds (benchmarks from Chia docs; test variations).
- Current netspace inflation from compression (estimates 10-20%).
- Farming power distribution (pool stats ~70-80% pooled).