Scrypt

Scrypt is the memory-hard hash function Litecoin adopted in 2011 as a deliberate departure from Bitcoin’s SHA-256. The design intent: make ASIC dominance harder by requiring more memory than typical compute hardware provides cheaply. ASICs ultimately did emerge for Scrypt — but the path took longer than for SHA-256, and the hardware costs more per unit of hash density.Scrypt’s most important practical property is merged mining: Litecoin and Dogecoin (which adopted Scrypt as part of its 2014 protocol) accept work for both chains from the same hashes. One Scrypt ASIC produces both LTC and DOGE rewards simultaneously. Pool fees are paid once; payouts arrive in both currencies. Combined Scrypt revenue periodically exceeds equivalent-watt SHA-256 revenue, especially during DOGE price spikes.Modern Scrypt ASICs (Antminer L9, Fluminer L3) produce 9–17 GH/s at 2,500–3,500 W. Smaller home-tier units (Fluminer L2) run on standard wall outlets. Scrypt is a reasonable algorithmic complement in a multi-coin mining portfolio for operators wanting exposure beyond Bitcoin.