Bitcoin miners help elect Core validators without mining a second chain

Bitcoin miners can now participate in @Coredao_Org's validator election process without changing how they mine or splitting their computational resources across two networks. The mechanism, called Delegated Proof of Work (DPoW), is a core component of Core's Satoshi Plus consensus system.

One Line Is All It Takes

When a Bitcoin miner wants to delegate proof of work to the Core network, they add data to the op_return field in the coinbase transaction, specifying which Core validator they want to support and where they want their CORE rewards sent. This is done as a Bitcoin block is being mined, so miners do not have to choose between securing the Bitcoin and the Core network.

The arrangement is designed to be mutually beneficial: Bitcoin miners gain a second block reward through CORE token rewards, while Core benefits from Bitcoin's security and decentralised infrastructure. The extra reward stream requires no additional computation, making the economics straightforward for miners already operating at scale.

How Validator Scores Are Calculated

Each round, the Core network calculates the Bitcoin hash power associated with each validator by counting the number of blocks produced by each miner in the Bitcoin network during the same day of the prior week. That hash-power figure is then combined with two other inputs to produce a final ranking.

Validator selection on Core follows a structured, multi-phase process rooted in Satoshi Plus consensus, which integrates Delegated Proof of Work (DPoW), Delegated Proof of Stake (DPoS), and Self-Custodial Bitcoin Staking into a unified hybrid scoring system. At the end of each round, validators are ranked by their hybrid score, and the top 27 validators with the highest scores are selected for the validator set in the next round.

As Bitcoin block rewards diminish over time, the CORE reward stream provides an additional revenue source for miners, compensating them for both Bitcoin and CORE network activity. For mining pools looking to diversify income without operational overhead, DPoW offers a low-friction entry point into Core's ecosystem.

Sources
Core DAO Official Docs: Delegated Proof of Work (DPoW)
Core DAO Official Docs: Delegating Hash Power
Core DAO Blog: Validators on Core, Role, Election and Rewards