Error-Correction Code Proof-of-Work on Ethereum

Abstract

The error-correction code proof-of-work (ECCPoW) algorithm is based on a low-density parity-check (LDPC) code. ECCPoW can impede the advent of mining application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) with its time-varying puzzle generation capability. Previous research studies on ECCPoW algorithm have presented its theory and implementation on Bitcoin. In this study, we have not only designed ECCPoW for Ethereum, called ETH-ECC, but have also implemented, simulated, and validated it. In the implementation, we have explained how ECCPoW algorithm has been integrated into Ethereum 1.0 as a new consensus algorithm. Furthermore, we have devised and implemented a new method for controlling the difficulty level in ETH-ECC. In the simulation, we have tested the performance of ETH-ECC using a large number of node tests and demonstrated that the ECCPoW Ethereum works well with automatic difficulty-level change capability in real-world experimental settings. In addition, we discuss how stable the block generation time (BGT) of ETH-ECC is. Specifically, one key issue we intend to investigate is the finiteness of the mean of ETH-ECC BGT. Owing to a time-varying cryptographic puzzle generation system in ECCPoW algorithm, BGT in the algorithm may lead to a long-tailed distribution. Thus, simulation tests have been performed to determine whether BGT distribution is not heavy-tailed and has a finite mean. If the distribution is heavy-tailed, stable transaction confirmation cannot be guaranteed. In the validation, we have presented statistical analysis results based on the two-sample Anderson-Darling test and discussed how the BGT distribution follows an exponential distribution which has a finite mean. Our implementation is available for download at https://github.com/cryptoecc/ETH-ECC.