ZEN is no longer a mineable coin. Horizen completed its migration to Base on July 23, 2025, moved eligible balances to an ERC-20 contract, and discontinued the legacy ZEND mainchain and EON chain. That makes older instructions for connecting an Equihash ASIC to a ZEN pool obsolete. This guide replaces those instructions with a current explanation of what changed, how holders should verify the migration, and how operators can evaluate legacy Equihash hardware without implying that it can still earn ZEN.
Key takeaways
- Legacy ZEN proof-of-work mining ended when the old mainchain was discontinued.
- Current ZEN activity takes place through the official ERC-20 contract on Base.
- Equihash ASICs may still have uses on other supported networks, but profitability and compatibility must be checked independently.
- Use only official Horizen migration pages and contract references; ignore pool or wallet instructions written for the retired chain.
Can ZEN still be mined?
No. The official Horizen migration overview says the project migrated balances from both the old Horizen mainchain and EON to an ERC-20 smart contract on Base, and that both old chains would be discontinued. The migration was completed on July 23, 2025. ERC-20 tokens are transferred through Base transactions; they are not produced by pointing an Equihash ASIC at the former ZEND chain.
This distinction matters because many older search results still describe ZEN as an Equihash proof-of-work asset, recommend pools, or show a network difficulty. Those pages document a historical system. A pool address that once worked is not evidence of a current ZEN mining market, and a calculator that continues to list ZEN can be stale. Operators should remove ZEN from automatic profit-switching rules, pool failover lists, and internal revenue forecasts unless the software clearly labels it as historical.
The change also removes a common source of confusion: an Equihash miner can remain technically functional while the target chain it once served has ended. Hardware capability and chain availability are separate questions. Treat any offer promising current “ZEN mining” as a claim that requires verification against Horizen’s official documentation.
What changed in the Base migration?
Horizen’s current model places ZEN on Base, an Ethereum layer-2 network. Eligible balances were represented through the official ERC-20 contract, while the project published a migration process for supported and exceptional balance types. Users should begin with the official migration documentation, confirm the contract address through Horizen-controlled channels, and then verify the network shown by a wallet or exchange before moving funds.
Migration does not mean every old workflow carries forward. A legacy transparent address, a ZEND full node, an EON staking workflow, and a Base wallet are different systems. The official documentation explains which externally owned accounts and legacy UTXOs were included automatically and which cases required a claim or review. Never infer eligibility only from an old wallet balance. Confirm the address type, transaction history, and current claim status through official tools.
For custody, the practical checklist is short: add Base through a trusted wallet interface, verify the official ZEN contract, test with a small transfer, and keep transaction hashes. Exchange users should verify that deposits and withdrawals explicitly support ZEN on Base. The official ZEN page describes the token as the governance and utility asset of the current ecosystem. It should be read together with the migration hub, not with outdated pool tutorials.
What should Equihash miners do now?
First, stop treating ZEN as a revenue line. Record the shutdown date, remove obsolete pool credentials, and reconcile the final payouts from the legacy period. Second, identify the exact algorithm variant and firmware supported by each ASIC. “Equihash” is a family label; a machine that supports one parameter set does not automatically support every Equihash-based chain.
Third, evaluate remaining networks with current data: pool availability, network hashrate, payout liquidity, power cost, firmware support, and the ability to withdraw rewards. The LeedMiner profitability calculator can help compare operating cost, but its output should be matched against a live pool and network source. Do not buy or energize hardware solely because an archived ZEN calculator shows a positive number.
The Antminer Z15 Pro below is a current LeedMiner catalog example of Equihash hardware. Its card is included to explain repurposing, not to claim ZEN compatibility after migration. Check the product page for the exact batch and evaluate only active, supported networks before deployment.
Antminer Z15 Pro 860 KH/s
Air cooling · 2,847 W · 3.31 J/kSOL · In stock
Finally, decide whether to run, host, resell, or retire the equipment. Compare the expected contribution margin with noise, heat, downtime, pool concentration, and repair risk. Hosting may be relevant where the available site cannot safely support the load, while a controlled retirement may be better than chasing a thin or illiquid reward market. Ask LeedMiner to review the exact model, voltage, and destination before moving equipment.
Document the decision for every unit. Record serial number, firmware, measured power, target algorithm, pool, expected uptime, and the date of the economic snapshot. This prevents a future operator from restoring the retired ZEN configuration or relying on an old spreadsheet. If no active network meets the required margin and liquidity threshold, power the unit down, store it in a dry environment, and reassess only when verified conditions change.
