Ergo's memory-hard, GPU-friendly, ASIC-resistant PoW.
Autolykos v2 is the proof-of-work algorithm used by the Ergo blockchain. It launched with the Ergo mainnet in July 2019 and was upgraded to v2 in February 2021 to strengthen ASIC resistance. The algorithm is memory-hard, requiring at least 4 GB of GPU VRAM to mine, and uses a non-outsourceable design that makes pool centralization less attractive than on simpler PoW chains.
Autolykos2 generates a 2 GB lookup table per epoch and requires 32 random memory accesses per hash. Because the algorithm is non-outsourceable — meaning the miner needs the full private key, not just a stratum job — pool operators can't sub-let work to other miners as easily. This was a deliberate design choice to keep mining decentralized.
Autolykos2 is ASIC-resistant by design and remains GPU-only as of 2026. AMD cards (RX 6800/6900 series, RX 7900) often outperform NVIDIA equivalents at this algorithm due to better compute throughput, though the RTX 4090 still hashes faster in absolute terms thanks to raw silicon advantage. The 4 GB minimum VRAM requirement rules out very old cards.
No production ASICs exist for Autolykos2 as of 2026. The algorithm is designed to be GPU-only or CPU-favoring.
Ergo profitability tracks ERG price closely. At low electricity costs ($0.05–$0.08/kWh), modern GPUs (RTX 3080+, RX 6800+) clear daily profit. ERG is a smaller-cap coin so individual-miner luck variance is higher on smaller pools.
What is the Autolykos2 algorithm?
Autolykos2 is Ergo's memory-hard, non-outsourceable proof-of-work algorithm. It requires at least 4 GB of VRAM and is designed to be GPU-friendly and ASIC-resistant.
Which coins use Autolykos2?
Ergo (ERG) is the only major coin using Autolykos2.
Is Autolykos2 ASIC-mineable?
No production ASICs exist for Autolykos2. The non-outsourceable design and the Ergo community's commitment to ASIC resistance make ASIC development economically unattractive.
AMD vs NVIDIA for Autolykos2?
AMD's RX 6800/6900/7900 cards typically outperform NVIDIA equivalents per dollar on Autolykos2. The RTX 4090 wins on raw hash rate but at higher upfront cost.