ACADEMY
MINING EDITION
MODULE 4
LESSON 3
Miners & Computors – Relationship Dynamics
Qubic’s mining ecosystem actually has a two-tier structure: the everyday miners (like you, running the software on your hardware) and the elite Computors (the 676 validator nodes that form Qubic’s consensus quorum). Understanding the relationship between miners and Computors is key to seeing how the whole system fits together – and it can help you strategize your mining approach (solo vs. pool, long-term goals, etc.).
Roles Defined
In Qubic, “we have two essential roles: Computors and AI Miners.” Computors are the validators – only 676 of them exist at any time. They confirm transactions, execute smart contracts, maintain the ledger, and package the AI training work. In other blockchains you might call them block producers or validator nodes, but here they’re special because they also handle the on-chain AI training (running AIGarth’s brain updates). Miners (often called “AI miners” in Qubic terms) are everyone contributing computing power to support those Computors . Think of Computors as the captains, and miners as the crew rowing the ship. The miners do the heavy lifting of solving AI training tasks (generating neural network data), and Computors gather those solutions, validate them, and integrate them into AIGarth’s training – all while securing the blockchain operations.
Earning & Incentives
The relationship is mutually beneficial. Computors depend on miners to supply the raw compute power needed to train the AI and keep earning rewards. If a Computor doesn’t have enough miners backing it (solving AIGarth’s puzzles), it will quickly fall behind in the weekly rankings and risk losing its Computor status. On the flip side, miners rely on Computors to actually get paid – only Computors receive the direct QUBIC emission each epoch. Each epoch’s 1 trillion QUBIC reward is split mainly among the 676 Computors (with top performers getting the biggest cut) . In fact, a single Computor can earn up to ~1.48 billion QUBIC in one epoch (week) if it’s at 100% efficiency . This is a huge reward (remember the large total supply; the key point is Computors earn a lot relative to miners). So how do miners get a piece of that? Through mining pools or partnerships with Computors. In practice, each Computor is usually backed by a mining pool of many individuals. The pool collectively competes to keep that Computor’s rank high, and the Computor (or pool operator) pays out miners their share of the earnings, often immediately at epoch’s end based on each miner’s contribution . The Qubic community has set up things so that even in your first week mining, you get paid your share – there’s no long wait or requirement to already be a Computor . This aligns incentives nicely: Computors need miners, miners need Computors, and both profit together by improving the AI training throughput.
Becoming a Computor
There’s a dynamic upward mobility in Qubic’s system that isn’t present in many other networks. Every miner has a shot (even if slim) to become a Computor. Newcomers start as Candidates, essentially mining without immediate compensation but contributing work . Each week (epoch), the network ranks all participants by their contributions to AI training. The top 451 performers stay (or become) Computors for the next epoch, while the remaining 225 Computor slots are filled by the next-best contributors from the candidate pool . In other words, if you and your pool out-compute an existing Computor (one of the lower 225), you replace them in the 676 and start earning next round ! This creates a healthy competition: Computors cannot become complacent – they must keep their miners happy and hashing, or they’ll lose their status. Miners, especially those in pools near the top, have the thrill of possibly breaking into the Computor club. It’s almost like a weekly tournament. (Of course, in reality it’s tough – the top pools are very powerful, and solo mining your way into the top 676 is virtually impossible unless you have an enormous setup. That’s why pooling is the norm.)
Trust & Pool Dynamics
Because miners and Computors are interdependent, trust and communication are important. As a miner, you should choose reputable pools where the operators have a track record of fair payouts and transparency. Most pools publish their fee (if any) and stats; for instance, the official qubic.li pool uses a PPS+ model (Pay-Per-Share plus bonus) to reward miners based on contributed work . They even allow mining without registration (via just your wallet address), which shows a trustless approach – you’ll still get paid, just without a fancy dashboard . Many miners start anonymously and then sign up for an account later once they trust the system and want detailed stats. Pro tip: Qubic’s infrastructure deliberately avoids scenarios where a pool could cheat you easily. Since everything runs in weekly epochs and on-chain, there’s a clear record of what a Computor earned and many pools pay out immediately when the epoch ends . Still, stick to well-known pools from the community (check Discord for recommendations) to avoid any rogue operators.
Trust & Pool Dynamics
Because miners and Computors are interdependent, trust and communication are important. As a miner, you should choose reputable pools where the operators have a track record of fair payouts and transparency. Most pools publish their fee (if any) and stats; for instance, the official qubic.li pool uses a PPS+ model (Pay-Per-Share plus bonus) to reward miners based on contributed work . They even allow mining without registration (via just your wallet address), which shows a trustless approach – you’ll still get paid, just without a fancy dashboard . Many miners start anonymously and then sign up for an account later once they trust the system and want detailed stats. Pro tip: Qubic’s infrastructure deliberately avoids scenarios where a pool could cheat you easily. Since everything runs in weekly epochs and on-chain, there’s a clear record of what a Computor earned and many pools pay out immediately when the epoch ends . Still, stick to well-known pools from the community (check Discord for recommendations) to avoid any rogue operators.
On the flip side, if you ever aim to operate a Computor/pool, you’ll need to attract miners to support you. This means offering good terms (low fees, reliable support, helpful tools). We won’t go deep into running a pool here, but it’s useful to recognize that Computors are essentially leaders of mining teams. They have an interest in keeping their team (miners) engaged and productive. There’s a real social dynamic to this: active pool communities often share tips on optimization, help troubleshoot each other’s rigs, and rally the group if their performance is lagging. In Qubic, lone wolves don’t last long at the top – it’s all about teamwork between Computor nodes and the miners who back them.
Miners vs. Computors – No Adversarial Split
Unlike some networks where miners and validators might be separate (and sometimes at odds), in Qubic it’s a continuum. A Computor is really just a miner (or pool of miners) that reached the top. So there isn’t a big political divide between “the miners” and “the validators” – they’re the same community. This is important for governance (which we’ll touch on next) because it means those securing the network are also those doing the work and earning the rewards, aligning incentives.