In July, Qubic – a project focused on decentralized compute and AI – announced plans to demonstrate its “Useful Proof of Work” system by attempting to control over 51% of Monero’s hashrate between August 2 and August 31. According to Qubic, the goal was not to harm Monero, but to showcase the strength of its mining and compute infrastructure.
Unlike traditional mining, Qubic uses idle compute from its AI system, AIGarth, to mine Monero. The mined XMR is then sold to buy and burn QUBIC tokens. This has attracted a growing number of miners to the Qubic pool, with reported hashrate shares peaking near 38% in late July.
The possibility of Qubic reaching majority control raised concerns in the Monero community, due to the potential risks associated with 51% hashrate concentration – including block censorship and orphaning of competing blocks.
What Happened on August 2
As of August 3, there is no evidence that Qubic reached 51% of the Monero network hashrate. No major disruptions, double-spends, or block reorganizations have been observed on the chain.
Qubic did not publish any technical update or confirmation that the attack had begun. Instead, the only public message came in the form of a general post:
Stealth Mode and API Shutdown
As part of its stated plan, Qubic has taken its mining pool API offline. This change was previously announced, and was described as a step toward operating in “stealth mode” once its hashrate crossed a certain threshold.
In place of identifiable Qubic activity, an unnamed mining pool has appeared on MiningPoolStats, accounting for approximately 23% of Monero’s hashrate. While the operator of this pool is not confirmed, it is consistent with Qubic’s last known mining share and behavior.
Minor Network Activity Observed
Though no direct signs of attack are visible, Monero’s network did see a few changes around August 2. A small increase in block production rate was recorded, along with at least one orphaned block. It is unclear whether these are related to Qubic thought.
Current Outlook
At this time, there is no confirmation that Qubic has achieved or attempted a 51% attack. However, its stated plans cover the full month of August. The API shutdown, anonymous pool activity, and continued mining incentives suggest that operations may still be underway.
The Monero network remains stable, but the risk of a later escalation has not been ruled out.
