Qubic Aims for 51% Monero Hashrate Control Amid Strategic Shift and Stealth Operations

Qubic, a digital asset project, has unveiled a strategic report titled “Warming Up the Engines,” outlining a plan to accumulate up to 51% of Monero’s network hashrate in the lead-up to an anticipated showdown with the privacy-focused cryptocurrency. The report, published just two days before the projected dominance window from August 2 to August 31, 2025, provides detailed financial and operational metrics, including revenue from mining activities and changes in strategy for token allocation and hashpower accumulation [1].

According to the report, Qubic earned $180,250 by selling 459 Monero (XMR) units in the most recent epoch, while also reserving 14,500 USDT, 22 XMR, and 3.7 billion QUBIC tokens for miner rewards. Additionally, 65.9 billion QUBIC tokens were burned at an average cost of $2,280 per billion, signaling a continued effort to manage token supply [1]. The report also noted that Monero’s price slightly declined during this period.

Qubic’s hashrate reached 2.3 gigahash per second (GH/s), representing 45% of Monero’s total network power. During the same epoch, Qubic miners successfully mined 3,496 Monero blocks, underscoring its growing influence on the proof-of-work (PoW) mechanism [1]. However, the project clarified that its strategy is not intended to compromise Monero’s privacy or enable transaction reversals. Instead, Qubic seeks to encourage miners to route their activity through its pools, with a community vote confirming that future block rewards would be allocated exclusively to miners operating through Qubic-controlled infrastructure [1].

The report outlines a shift in strategy: rather than using mining profits for token buybacks and burns, Qubic will now direct those funds to its validators, aiming to align incentives and accelerate hashpower accumulation [1]. This decision has been interpreted as a move to solidify network control during the planned dominance period.

Speculation has arisen that Qubic’s operations have gone into stealth mode, with reports indicating that mining addresses have changed, block footprints have been erased, and pool statistics are no longer publicly visible. Some mining dashboards have stopped displaying Qubic’s activity altogether, leading to concerns that the operation may have become fully hidden in anticipation of a potential 51% test [1].

Monero developers and supporters have expressed concerns over Qubic’s strategy, emphasizing the importance of decentralization and network security. A recent statement from the Monero development team noted that it is monitoring hashrate fluctuations and is prepared to activate emergency protocols if necessary. The community remains skeptical about the viability of Qubic’s 51% plan, citing previous failed attempts by other projects to exert similar control [1].

The broader implications of this potential confrontation remain uncertain. A successful 51% attack could disrupt Monero’s consensus mechanism and damage confidence in the network’s security. Conversely, a robust defense by the Monero community could reinforce its position as a resilient and decentralized privacy coin. As the situation unfolds, the cryptocurrency industry is expected to closely monitor both technical and market reactions to Qubic’s strategic moves [1].

Source: [1] Qubic's 'Warming up the Engines' Report Details 51% Strategy Ahead of Showdown With Monero (https://news.bitcoin.com/qubics-warming-up-the-engines-report-details-51-strategy-showdown-monero/)