Difficulty Bomb

Difficulty Bomb is a feature in the Ethereum blockchain that increases the mining difficulty over time. It is designed to make mining progressively harder, eventually leading to what's called the "Ice Age," where mining becomes impractical. This mechanism serves to encourage the transition from a proof-of-work (PoW) to a proof-of-stake (PoS) consensus mechanism. By making mining less efficient, it nudges developers and the community to adopt PoS, which is more energy-efficient and scalable. The Difficulty Bomb is periodically delayed to allow more time for development but remains a critical part of Ethereum's roadmap.