Nervos (CKB): what it is, how it is mined and with which ASIC miners

Nervos (CKB) is a proof-of-work blockchain mined with the Eaglesong algorithm exclusively on ASIC miners. Today 1 TH/s earns approximately 1,52 Kč per day, so even the most efficient Antminer K7 earns only slightly more than it consumes in electricity. Without cheap power of around 1 Kč/kWh, mining CKB does not pay off.

Summary

• CKB (Common Knowledge Base) is the base layer of the Nervos network. The CKByte coin also serves as “space” on the blockchain: 1 CKB = 1 byte of stored data.
• It is mined with the Eaglesong algorithm under the NC-Max consensus. A block is produced roughly every 9 seconds.
• The base reward halves every 4 years. The first halving took place on 19 November 2023; the next is expected in November 2027.
• Mining only makes sense with the most efficient machine (Antminer K7, 48.5 J/TH) and electricity up to about 1.3 Kč/kWh. Mining at home in the Czech Republic runs at a loss.

What Nervos and CKB are

Nervos Network launched its mainnet in November 2019. Its base layer is called CKB – Common Knowledge Base, and the coin (CKByte) bears the same name. Like Bitcoin, it uses proof of work and a UTXO-like model that Nervos calls the “cell model”.

What makes CKB special is that the coin is not just a means of payment. Anyone who wants to store data on the blockchain (a token, a contract, a record) has to “lock” 1 CKB per byte. The more the network is used, the more coins are locked. Second layers and projects such as RGB++ or the Fiber payment network run on top of CKB.

The network evolves through hard forks. The latest, Meepo, was activated on mainnet on 1 July 2025 and brought CKB-VM version 2 (a new Spawn system call for scripts). Meepo did not affect miners – the algorithm and rewards stayed the same.

How CKB is mined: algorithm, block and reward

CKB is mined with the Eaglesong algorithm, which Nervos designed specifically for its network. Graphics cards and processors no longer stand a chance on it; the network is dominated by ASIC miners (see our article What is an ASIC miner for an explanation).

The NC-Max consensus is an improved Nakamoto consensus. Difficulty is not adjusted after a fixed number of blocks but according to the share of orphaned blocks in an epoch with a target length of 4 hours. According to WhatToMine, as of 30 October 2026 the average block time is 8.9 s.

What a miner's reward consists of

• Base reward (base issuance) – 33.6 billion CKB in total, halving every 4 years.
• Secondary issuance – a fixed 1.344 billion CKB per year. Miners receive only part of it, depending on how much CKB is locked for data (“state rent”). The rest goes to Nervos DAO depositors and to the development fund.
• Transaction fees – 40% goes to the miner who proposed the transaction, 60% to the one who committed it in a block.

The reward is credited with a delay of 11 blocks. For an ordinary miner in a pool this makes no difference – the pool handles payouts.

CKB halving: when and what it means

As with Bitcoin, the base reward is halved regularly (we describe the principle in our article Halving). For CKB these are 4-year cycles counted from the network launch.

For miners this means: unless the CKB price rises significantly by November 2027, the yield per 1 TH/s will fall by roughly half. Machines that today barely cover their electricity would run at a loss after the halving, even with cheap hosting.

How much CKB mining earns today

We recalculate the current yield every hour: today 1 TH/s on Eaglesong earns 1,52 Kč per day at a price of 0,026 Kč per 1 CKB (updated 30. 10. 2026). According to WhatToMine, as of 30 October 2026 the whole network has a hashrate of around 86 PH/s.

Below is our calculation for the three miners we offer, for household electricity at 4.50 Kč/kWh and two locations of our hosting. Hosting prices are standard per-kWh rates including management (Nigeria #2 ≈ 1.14 Kč, Finland ≈ 1.41 Kč at an exchange rate of 21.76 Kč/USD). Figures are as of 30 October 2026, excluding pool fees.

The table shows that for CKB, efficiency in J/TH is what matters (we explain how to calculate it in our article ASIC miner power consumption and J/TH). The Antminer K7 is roughly twice as efficient as the BM-N3 Max and is currently the only one that comes out above zero at the cheapest location. The cheapest electricity on our hosting is currently 1,14 Kč per kWh.

The Goldshell CK Box II is quiet (35 dB) and small, so it is well suited for trying out mining at home. Bear in mind, however, that at household electricity prices it earns less than it consumes. It is more of a “toy” for enthusiasts than a source of income.

Which miner to mine CKB with

You will find all three machines in the Nervos CKB miners (Eaglesong) collection. Prices as of 30 October 2026:

• Antminer K7 – 63.5 TH/s for 61,399 Kč (at home) or 49,234 Kč (hosted). A weaker 58 TH/s version is also available. It is loud (75 dB) and belongs in a server room, not a flat.
• iBeLink BM-N3 Max – 30 TH/s for 72,099 / 57,797 Kč. At today's CKB prices it runs at a loss even on hosting and only makes sense with very cheap electricity.
• Goldshell CK Box II – 2.1 TH/s for 15,899 / 10,900 Kč, 400 W, suitable for home use.

All three models are “made to order” – we will confirm availability and delivery time before payment. When placed on our hosting, the machines are covered by an 84-month warranty.

Pools and wallets for CKB

CKB is supported, for example, by the large pools F2Pool and ViaBTC. We describe how payout methods differ in our article PPS, PPLNS and FPPS.

For payouts you need a CKB address (starting with ckb1…). The official wallet is Neuron from the Nervos Foundation – a desktop application with a full node that can also deposit into Nervos DAO. For smaller amounts, an address on an exchange that supports CKB will do, but then you do not control the keys yourself.

Risks of mining CKB

• Low margin. Today only the most efficient machine with power at around 1 Kč/kWh pays off. A small drop in price or a rise in difficulty will wipe out the yield.
• Halving in November 2027. Base issuance will fall by half. When calculating payback, therefore, assume that the reward per 1 TH/s will decrease in 2027.
• A single algorithm. Eaglesong miners can only mine CKB. If mining CKB stops paying off, the machine cannot be switched to another coin.
• Liquidity and price. CKB is a smaller cryptocurrency with greater price volatility than Bitcoin. Past price performance says nothing about the future.

This article is not investment advice. Yields change every day depending on the CKB price and network difficulty.

What next

• Compare CKB with other coins on the ASIC miner profitability page.
• Check electricity prices and locations on our ASIC miner hosting.
• Browse miners for Nervos CKB.

Sources

• Nervos Docs: Mining rewards (rewards, halving, NC-Max)
• Nervos Docs: Economics (issuance, state rent, Nervos DAO)
• Nervos Docs: CKB Hard Fork History (Mirana, Meepo)
• WhatToMine: CKB (Eaglesong) – hashrate and block time
• F2Pool: How to mine Nervos
• ViaBTC: CKB mining setup
• Coinpaper: Nervos Network halving dates