TenQ proof of work | Tenrai Docs

TenQ is the proof-of-work function of Tenrai. A miner hashes a 323-byte preimage, the text TRAI_POW_V1 followed by the work header, into a 256-bit value. The block is valid when that value is at or below the target of the block's anchor.

Construction

Part	Size	Role
Dataset	2 GiB	Read-only table, read at positions that depend on the data
Scratchpad	8 KiB	Private, writable state of each attempt
Programs	4	Integer programs, each depending on the one before
Rounds	1,024	Per evaluation
Cache	32 MiB	Rebuilds any dataset entry exactly, 160 cache reads per entry

SHAKE256 is the cryptographic primitive. All arithmetic is integer arithmetic, so every CPU and GPU returns the same value.

Full and light

Mode	Memory	Speed
Full	The 2 GiB dataset	What miners use
Light	The 32 MiB cache	The same result, computed entry by entry; many times slower

Both are valid for mining and for checking. Nodes and pools check blocks in full mode when they have the memory, and in light mode otherwise.

Epochs

The dataset changes every 34,560 cuts, once a day. A block's epoch follows from its anchor's height. Nodes, miners, bridges and pools build the next dataset 1,024 cuts ahead, when 2 GiB plus 512 MiB of memory are free, so the change does not pause them. Without that room they work in light mode until the new dataset fits.

Profiles

Profile	Identifier	Dataset	Used by
Production	`0x54454E10`	2 GiB	Mainnet and the testnets
Test	`0x54454E01`	1 MiB	The development network

The network's genesis manifest selects the profile. A local option cannot change it.

Your hashrate

tenrai-miner --benchmark measures what your hardware does, see Start mining.

What proof of work does

Proof of work decides who may add blocks and distributes half of all new TRAI to whoever contributes hashrate, without a registration or a minimum stake. The difficulty follows the hashrate so that about 50 blocks per second are found, see Work blocks and cuts.