International Association
for Cryptologic Research

The cryptocurrency Bitcoin operates without a central authority. This is made possible by (digital) proof of work, which, however, comes with enormous energy consumption and CO₂ emissions. Our project transfers this principle into the physical world: we are conducting research on physical one-way functions, reproducible physical processes that generate measurable outputs from input parameters, but for which solving the inverse problem is difficult. Based on this, we are developing a proof of physical work protocol that has the potential to significantly reduce global CO₂ emissions. As an interdisciplinary junior research group, we are opening up a new field of research at the interface of cryptography, engineering, and natural sciences. The project runs for five years and is funded by the Carl-Zeiss-Stiftung. Further information can be found here: https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202409386