[snarf21]

I don't buy this argument (just like the point you are responding to is mostly wrong too). Yes it won't consume more and more but it won't consume less and less either. Miners are n't going to mine a loss it will always be SUM(rewards + fees). The network has to be secured or bitcoin loses all perceived value. Difficulty will have to creep upwards as technology improves. The question is will there be a way to mine more difficult problems using less power. That is the only way bitcoin power usages stops growing (slowly).

[jallen_dot_dev]

> The question is will there be a way to mine more difficult problems using less power. That is the only way bitcoin power usages stops growing (slowly).

That's not how it works. The whole point is to spend power (work).

If there was some breakthrough that allowed finding hashes with 10x less electricity, then the network wouldn't burn 10x less electricity. It would instead find 10x more hashes.