Difficulty Adjustment
Overview
Section titled “Overview”NOUS targets a 150-second average block time. The difficulty adjusts automatically to maintain this rate regardless of how much reasoning power joins or leaves the network.
Mechanism
Section titled “Mechanism”NOUS uses a single hash target — identical in concept to Bitcoin’s difficulty:
- Lower target = harder (hash must be smaller)
- Higher target = easier (hash can be larger)
The 3-SAT parameters (256 variables, 986 clauses) never change. Only the hash target adjusts.
Adjustment Algorithm
Section titled “Adjustment Algorithm”The difficulty adjusts based on the time taken to produce recent blocks:
- If blocks are produced too fast (< 150s average), the target decreases (harder)
- If blocks are produced too slow (> 150s average), the target increases (easier)
This creates a self-regulating system where adding more miners doesn’t produce blocks faster — it only increases the difficulty.
Implications
Section titled “Implications”- Hardware upgrades make the network harder, not faster
- Better algorithms make the network harder, not faster
- AI breakthroughs make the network harder, not faster
- The block rate stays constant at ~150 seconds