How Does a Sudden Influx of Highly Efficient Mining Hardware Impact the Network?

A sudden influx of highly efficient mining hardware, such as a new generation of ASICs, causes a rapid increase in the total network hash rate without a proportional increase in energy consumption. This leads to blocks being found faster than the target time.

The difficulty adjustment algorithm will then significantly increase the difficulty to compensate, effectively making older, less efficient hardware obsolete and less profitable.

What Happens to the Block Discovery Time If the Network Hash Rate Suddenly Drops?
How Do Advances in ASIC Technology Impact the Hash Rate and Miner Profitability?
How Does an Increase in Hash Rate Affect the Difficulty Adjustment?
What Is a Hash Rate and How Does It Relate to Network Difficulty?
What Is the ‘Mining Difficulty’ in a PoW System?
What Is the “Difficulty Target” in PoW?
What Is the Role of ‘Difficulty Adjustment’ in Proof-of-Work?
How Does a ‘Liquidity Pool’ Handle a Sudden, Large Influx of Tokens?

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