Key Takeaways:
- Chia Network is launching Proof of Space 2.0 in 2026, with the hard fork expected around June 1, 2026 at block height 8,800,000
- The upgrade makes the network 1,000 times more resistant to rental attacks using high-performance GPU clusters
- Farmers will have a 12-month transition period to replot their drives after the hard fork activation
- New plots will be faster to create with GPU assistance (estimated over 20TiB per day with an Nvidia 3060, with theoretical maximums reaching 40TB under optimal conditions)
- The Quality Chain mechanism shifts security work to the infrequent event of winning a block, keeping ongoing energy costs minimal
Note: Plotting performance figures are based on estimates from development testing. Final plot times will be confirmed as Chia 3.0 approaches release and Plot ID Filter and Plot Difficulty parameters are finalized.
Chia Network is rolling out a major upgrade to its Proof of Space protocol that will fundamentally change how farmers secure the blockchain. This new system introduces the Quality Chain mechanism and dramatically improves security against attacks while maintaining Chia’s green credentials. All farmers will need to understand these changes and prepare for the transition period starting mid-2026.
Understanding Chia’s Next-Gen Proof of Space
The next generation Proof of Space represents a complete evolution of how Chia achieves consensus. The new design primarily uses linked bit-dropped and encrypted Proof Fragments, with security focused on their properties and the chaining mechanism, rather than the extensive table matching used in the original format.
The new Proof of Space employs a design where 5 tables are constructed but only three core tables are retained in the final plot.[1] This reduction makes plots smaller and the plotting process more efficient. The system introduces what Chia calls “Proof Fragments” that are chained together to create a Quality Chain, which becomes the heart of the new security model.
The upgrade addresses three critical needs that emerged as blockchain technology evolved. First, the emergence of highly optimized compressed plots introduced increased ongoing energy demands, which conflicted with Chia’s green mission. Second, rental attacks became a realistic threat as GPU technology advanced. Third, the network needed a stable, long-term plot format that wouldn’t require frequent updates.
How the Quality Chain Works
The network issues a challenge, which filters for specific Proof Fragments within a farmer’s plot.[1] These fragments are encrypted pieces of cryptographic proofs stored on your hard drive. When a challenge comes in, matching Proof Fragments form Chain Links that connect different parts of the plot. The system then builds a Quality Chain from these links through a process that makes it extremely expensive for attackers to manipulate.
The beauty of this approach lies in when the heavy computation happens. For honest farmers, the ongoing energy expenditure will be minimal, with the majority of security work concentrated in the infrequent event of winning a block or pool partial. This means your farming operation stays energy-efficient during normal harvesting, only using more resources when you actually find a winning proof.
The Bit-Drop Saturation Defense
One of the most important innovations is bit-drop saturation. This creates a point where trying to cheat by recomputing dropped bits costs more than simply storing honest plots. DrPlotter technology can do a phase 1 in under 1 second on an 8 x H100 cluster, which would allow such a cluster to spoof almost 1 PiB of netspace.[4] The new format includes multiple filters that make this type of grinding attack economically impractical.
The grinder can only spoof the equivalent of 4 plots per signage point due to the combined plot ID filter, scan filter, and proof chaining filter.[3] Across three signage points, this totals just 12 spoofed plots. To put this in perspective, spoofing 20 EiB of netspace would require 300 million 3090 GPUs, far exceeding the global availability of GPUs today.[5]
Timeline and Transition Plan for Farmers
The upgrade follows a carefully planned timeline that gives farmers plenty of notice. 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.[2]
The transition period is designed to prevent a rush to replot immediately. Initially the new proof of space format will be given less weight than the original. Over the 12-month window, it will gradually become more economically advantageous to switch to the new format, allowing each farmer to choose their replotting timeline based on their specific situation.
What You Need to Do Right Now
The good news is that you don’t need to take any immediate action. Your current plots will continue farming normally until the hard fork activates in June. However, you should start planning for the transition. Consider your total farm size, available plotting hardware, and whether you’ll want to use GPU-accelerated plotting when Chia 3.0 releases.
Farmers with very large operations should pay attention to the timeline. A 3060 can generate over 20TiB worth of plots per day, with theoretical maximums reaching 40TB under optimal conditions (though real-world performance may be lower due to drive speeds, network limitations, and other bottlenecks). Calculate how long it would take to replot your entire farm and make sure you can complete the process within the 12-month transition window.
Hardware Requirements and Plotting Performance
The new format brings significant changes to plotting speed and hardware requirements. One of the most exciting developments is GPU-accelerated plotting that can dramatically reduce plot creation time.
Plotting Speed Improvements
Plots can be made with additional data (approximately 10-15% more space), so that even a Raspberry Pi could support many PiB on a single harvester. This flexibility means farmers can optimize for their specific hardware situation. If you have low-end harvesting equipment, you can create slightly larger plots that require less computational power during harvesting.
For GPU plotting, the performance is impressive. An Nvidia 3060 Ti is estimated to create a k32 plot in approximately 11 minutes, though final plot times are subject to adjustment based on the Plot ID Filter and Plot Difficulty settings determined before Chia 3.0 release.[4] This makes it possible to generate substantial storage capacity quickly. However, remember that the initial plotting phase is where most of the computational cost occurs. Once plots are created, harvesting remains lightweight.
Harvesting Resource Needs
For plot retrieval, even large farms can use low-spec computers such as original Raspberry Pis, as most of the time is spent simply reading from storage, which uses minimal compute resources.[5] The proof-solving hardware requirement depends on your largest plot size, not the total number of plots.
If you’re running k32 plots (the mainnet minimum at approximately 25 GiB for the new format), your proof-solving machine must meet k32 specs. For large farms with multiple harvesters, you can use low-spec devices like Raspberry Pis for plot retrieval and designate a higher-spec machine for proof solving when needed.
The computational requirements for harvesting will be slightly larger than with the original plot file format but vastly less than for compressed plots. This strikes a balance between security and accessibility, ensuring that Chia farming remains feasible for home miners without requiring expensive GPU infrastructure for ongoing operations.
Security Improvements and Attack Resistance
The new Proof of Space delivers massive security enhancements, particularly against rental attacks. Resistance to rental attacks is over 1,000 times higher than in the original PoS, with scheduled adjustments to the plot ID filter, the proof fragment scan filter, and manual increases to the minimum plot strength able to raise that bar over time.[7]
Understanding Plot Difficulty Settings
The new format introduces tunable plot difficulty that allows farmers to create plots designed for specific longevity. The current proposal is to start the plot ID filter at 32 and cut it in half every two years until it reaches 1.[5] This scheduled reduction means plots have an effective expiration time based on their difficulty level.
Farmers can future-proof their plots by creating them at higher difficulty levels. If you want to delay replotting for at least six years, you can create your plots with a difficulty level at least three levels above the minimum. This flexibility lets you balance plotting effort now against the frequency of future replotting.
Why Compression No Longer Makes Economic Sense
Currently we expect a 4090 on a large farm may be incentivized to compress up to 2-3% of the plot size, although this is still subject to change based on the final tuning parameters.[5] This minimal compression benefit means the energy costs of running high-end GPUs for farming will exceed any space savings you might achieve.
The system achieves this through multiple overlapping defenses. The plot ID filter provides a 1 in 256 chance, the scan filter adds another 1 in 64 chance, and the proof chaining filter creates additional barriers. Together, these make it economically irrational to attempt GPU grinding instead of storing honest plots.
Expert Perspective on the Upgrade
Dr. Nicolas Halper (Dr Nick), who developed DrPlotter and joined Chia Network Inc. to work on the new format, provides important context on the upgrade’s necessity. “More pressingly, rental attacks became a foreseeable risk, where an attacker can rent thousands of GPUs online and grind full proofs with little or no storage.”[4]
The technical team collaborated with leading cryptography experts to develop the solution. Dr. Nick has been working closely with Bram Cohen and Krzysztof Pietrzak from IST Austria (co-author with Bram on the Beyond Hellman’s paper on proofs of space) to ensure the new format addresses current threats while remaining resistant to future attacks.[4]
According to the official Chia Network documentation, “The introduction of the new Proof of Space is a testament to Chia Network’s commitment to innovation and long-term vision.”[1] The upgrade reinforces Chia’s position as a leader in green blockchain technology while ensuring the network can scale securely for years to come.
Case Studies: Real-World Impact
Large-Scale Farming Operation: A farmer with 10 PiB of storage will need to replot approximately 100,000 plots during the transition period. Using an Nvidia 4090 GPU (which offers approximately 2-3x the performance of a 3060), they could replot an estimated 100-150 plots per day depending on system configuration, completing the entire farm in roughly 650-1,000 days. This farmer should start replotting immediately when Chia 3.0 releases to finish within the transition window.
Home Miner with Limited Resources: A small farmer with 100 TiB on a Raspberry Pi harvester can create plots with 10-15% additional data to reduce harvesting load. They could replot their entire farm in about 5-10 days using GPU-accelerated plotting, making the transition straightforward even without expensive hardware investments.
Conclusion
Chia’s next-generation Proof of Space represents a fundamental leap forward in blockchain security and sustainability. The Quality Chain mechanism delivers 1,000 times better resistance to rental attacks while keeping energy consumption minimal for honest farmers. With GPU-accelerated plotting, the transition becomes manageable even for large operations, and the 12-month replotting window ensures everyone has time to upgrade at their own pace.
The key to success is planning ahead. Start familiarizing yourself with the timeline, assess your hardware situation, and calculate how long replotting will take for your specific farm size. As we approach the June 2026 hard fork activation, you’ll be ready to begin the transition on your own schedule. Take control of your farming future by staying informed and preparing for this important upgrade that will secure Chia Network for the next decade.
Chia Next-Gen Proof of Space FAQs
What is Chia next gen proof of space and when does it activate?
Chia next gen proof of space is a major upgrade introducing the Quality Chain mechanism that makes the network 1,000 times more resistant to attacks. The hard fork activates around June 1, 2026 at block height 8,800,000, with Chia 3.0 having been released in summer 2025.
Do I need to replot my Chia farm for the next gen proof of space?
Yes, all farmers must replot during the 12-month transition period after the June 2026 hard fork. Your old plots will continue working during this transition but will gradually receive less weight until they’re deprecated in June 2027.
How long does it take to create plots with next gen proof of space?
With GPU acceleration, an Nvidia 3060 Ti can create plots fast enough to generate over 20TiB per day, with theoretical maximums reaching 40TB under optimal conditions. A 4090 can generate an estimated 100-150 plots per day, making it possible to replot even large farms within the transition window.
Will next gen proof of space work on my Raspberry Pi?
Yes, Raspberry Pi farming remains fully supported. You can create plots with 10-15% additional data that allow even a Raspberry Pi 5 to harvest many petabytes of storage with minimal energy consumption.
How does next gen proof of space improve security?
The new format is over 1,000 times more resistant to rental attacks through the Quality Chain mechanism, multiple security filters, and bit-drop saturation. Spoofing significant netspace would require hundreds of thousands of high-end GPUs, making attacks economically impractical.
Chia Next-Gen Proof of Space Citations
- Chia Network – Understanding the Next-Generation Proof of Space – https://www.chia.net/2025/05/19/understanding-the-next-generation-proof-of-space/
- Chia Network – The Future of Farming is Green and Secure – https://www.chia.net/2025/05/19/the-future-of-farming-is-green-and-secure/
- Chia Network – Upcoming Changes for Chia’s New Proof of Space Format – https://www.chia.net/2024/12/11/upcoming-changes-for-chias-new-proof-of-space-format/
- Chia Network – Approaching the Next Generation of Proof of Space – https://www.chia.net/2024/08/08/approaching-the-next-generation-of-proof-of-space/
- Chia Documentation – FAQ New Proof of Space – https://docs.chia.net/chia-blockchain/consensus/proof-of-space-2.0/new-proof-faq/
- GitHub – CHIP-0049: Proof Format Fork Timelines – https://github.com/Chia-Network/chips/pull/161
- GitHub – CHIP-0048: New Proof of Space – https://github.com/Chia-Network/chips/blob/new_proof_format/CHIPs/chip-0048.md
- Chia Documentation – Reference Farming Hardware – https://docs.chia.net/reference-farming-hardware/
