Ravencoin's ProgPow-derived GPU-only mining algorithm.
KawPow is the proof-of-work algorithm used by Ravencoin (RVN), activated in May 2020 as a fork of ProgPow. It was chosen specifically to maintain Ravencoin's GPU-only mining ethos after X16R (Ravencoin's previous algorithm) began attracting FPGA development. KawPow has remained ASIC-resistant for over five years through algorithmic complexity and active community vigilance.
KawPow combines a memory-hard DAG (similar to Ethash) with a sequence of random math operations executed in GPU compute. Each hash includes 18 randomly-selected operations from a defined set, plus DAG lookups. The complexity of the random sequence is what makes KawPow hostile to ASIC development — a dedicated chip would need to implement the full random instruction set, eliminating the efficiency advantage that makes ASICs profitable.
KawPow is firmly GPU-only as of 2026. No production ASICs exist. NVIDIA cards typically outperform AMD equivalents at KawPow due to better compute throughput on the random math operations. The RTX 4090 (65 Mh/s) and RTX 3090 (55 Mh/s) lead; older RTX 20-series cards remain viable.
No production ASICs exist for KawPow as of 2026. The algorithm is designed to be GPU-only or CPU-favoring.
Ravencoin profitability depends on RVN price (small-cap, volatile) and your electricity rate. At sub-$0.08/kWh on a modern NVIDIA card, KawPow is generally profitable. KawPow's appeal is that you can dual-mine it on rigs idling between other algorithms — start-up is fast and the DAG fits comfortably in 6 GB+ VRAM.
What is the KawPow algorithm?
KawPow is a ProgPow-derived proof-of-work algorithm used by Ravencoin since May 2020. It combines memory-hard DAG lookups with a sequence of randomly selected math operations.
Which coins use KawPow?
Ravencoin (RVN) is the largest. Smaller chains include Neoxa (NEOX) and a few Ravencoin forks.
Is KawPow ASIC-resistant?
Yes. No production ASICs exist for KawPow as of 2026, and the algorithm's complexity makes ASIC development economically unattractive.
NVIDIA vs AMD for KawPow?
NVIDIA cards generally outperform AMD equivalents on KawPow due to better compute throughput on the algorithm's random math operations. The RTX 4090 leads at ~65 Mh/s.