Foundry USA, the world’s largest Bitcoin mining pool controlling nearly 24% of the network’s hashrate, has formally asked its mining clients to cast votes on whether the pool should signal support for Bitcoin Improvement Proposal 110 (BIP‑110). The proposal is a soft fork designed to reduce the amount of data that can be stored in Bitcoin transactions, explicitly aimed at curbing non‑monetary uses like Ordinals inscriptions.
Alongside the call, Foundry published educational materials about BIP‑110 to guide its clients. The voting window will close at Bitcoin block 961,632, expected in early August, with pool participants able to vote via an emailed link. The initiative puts the weight of one of the network’s most influential mining pools behind a polarizing debate that could reshape what types of activities are allowed on the Bitcoin blockchain.
The proposal has drawn sharp criticism from prominent industry figures. Adam Back, CEO of Blockstream, warned that BIP‑110 could be used to freeze user funds, while Michael Saylor, executive chairman of Strategy, stated that it would invalidate ordinary transactions. Their opposition highlights the deep technical and philosophical divisions over the protocol’s future.
Given Foundry’s dominant hashrate share, its eventual signaling decision is expected to carry significant weight in the broader miner consensus on BIP‑110.
