Proof of Work is the algorithm that guarantees the consensus in the network (in the case of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies) through the solution of a cryptographic problem. A new block is created when the solution to the problem is found. This process is known as mining.

However, there are many people, known as miners, competing with each other to be the first to “solve the problem” and get the reward. To be the best in this competition, you need to invest in powerful hardware. For this reason, there are many companies that have created very specific mining machinery, known as ASIC’s. These machines dominate the mining market and are much more efficient than ordinary computers, however, these machines also consume a lot of energy.

This enormous expense of energy is practically indispensable to keep the network extremely safe in the Proof of Work model.