The End of an Era
On September 15, 2022, Ethereum transitioned to Proof-of-Stake (PoS) at block height 15,537,393, marking the end of GPU mining's dominant role in its ecosystem. This historic "Merge" event symbolizes both technological progress and the bittersweet farewell to a community that helped build Ethereum from its infancy.
Many miners publicly or privately acknowledged the inevitable shift yet continued mining until the final moment—displaying a poignant dedication reminiscent of Greek tragic heroes. While Ethereum's evolution required moving beyond PoW, the contributions of early miners remain foundational to its growth.
This transition creates new opportunities:
- Displaced miners can repurpose hardware for AI/ML, cloud computing, or graphics rendering
- Web3 emerges as a promising frontier for those with technical expertise
- The crypto ecosystem continues diversifying beyond traditional mining models
F2Pool's poetic farewell in ETH's last PoW block encapsulated this moment perfectly, quoting ethnobotanist Terence McKenna:
"Nature loves courage. The universe responds to audacious commitment by eliminating obstacles. Unfinished dreams? The cosmos conspires to clear your path—this is the great secret."
OKX: Your Web3 Navigator
As Ethereum completed its upgrade, OKX made industry headlines by projecting ETH's Merge celebration onto Nasdaq's iconic Times Square billboard—a symbolic gesture honoring miners' legacy while welcoming them into Web3.
This follows OKX's recent global campaign featuring:
- Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola
- F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo
- Olympic medalist Scotty James
collectively asking "What is OKX?" across major platforms. Such high-profile collaborations demonstrate OKX's growing influence as a Web3 leader.
Comprehensive Merge Support
OKX announced a full suite of services for the Merge transition:
- Forked token (ETHW) airdrops with snapshot-based distribution
- Mining pool revenue settlements
- Adjusted ETH/ERC-20 deposit/withdrawal protocols
- Cross-chain bridge service updates
- Risk parameter optimizations during upgrade
- Web3 Wallet integration for ETHW chain
👉 Explore OKX's Web3 Wallet—the most versatile multi-chain wallet supporting:
- 29+ blockchains
- 1,000+ DeFi protocols
- Built-in NFT marketplace
- Cross-chain swaps
- DApp explorer
Users pre-Merge received dual benefits:
✅ 1:1 ETHW airdrops
✅ 10,000 OKT token rewards
Building the Future of Crypto
As a top-tier ecosystem builder, OKX combines:
- A leading centralized exchange
- Web3 Wallet (decentralized gateway)
- OKC (smart contract platform for next-gen dApps)
With 20M+ users across 200+ countries, OKX continues advancing through:
- Global talent acquisition
- Strategic investments
- Enhanced security protocols
- Product innovation
Like Ethereum's bold evolution, OKX embraces challenges to pioneer crypto's future—where excellence in ecosystem development never pauses.
FAQs
What happened to Ethereum miners after the Merge?
Many repurposed hardware for other PoW chains, AI projects, or cloud services. Others transitioned to staking or Web3 development roles.
How does OKX support ETH holders post-Merge?
Through fork airdrops, wallet integrations, and uninterrupted trading services with upgraded security measures.
Why choose OKX Web3 Wallet?
It consolidates DeFi, NFTs, swaps, and dApp access across 29+ chains—eliminating the need for multiple wallets.
What's next for Ethereum after PoS transition?
Scalability improvements via sharding and reduced energy consumption (estimated -99.95% post-Merge).