On August 24, 2022, the CTO of Ripple mentioned on Twitter that XRP, the platform’s native token Secure Hashing Algorithm, will surpass that of Bitcoin.
He made this known when a Twitter user requested clarification regarding SHA256 and SHA512.
David explained the difference between both algorithms, further revealing why he picked SHA512 for the XRP protocol.
SHA256 is the mining algorithm and hash function of many crypto coin protocols, including the largest cryptocurrency by capitalization, Bitcoin.
They chose this cryptographic algorithm because it guarantees the security and integrity of information stored on the blockchain.
In addition, it is an improved edition of the SHA-2 algorithm created by the American NSA to protect sensitive information that affects the country.
All thanks to its digital signature, content can be verified without revealing or compromising its information. Further, this algorithm has no known vulnerabilities, making it very secure.
However, SHA-512 surpasses it in all ways. It has more speed due to 64 bits processing power compared to SHA256/32 bits and enhanced security, which is more evolved.
Nevertheless, SHA512, too, needed improvement because it takes much space compared to SHA256, which led to a truncated variant SHA512/256 algorithm.
This version cuts down space but maintains the speed and efficiency of its parent SHA512 and is even better due to its 256 bits.
Though no protocol has utilized this updated version of SHA512/256, it’s clear that in a short period, platforms like Ripple will start to integrate it into their protocols.
When this happens, they will have an algorithm superior in all ramifications to SHA256, and their protocol will function more efficiently than they have ever seen before.
In short, the XRP cryptography will surpass Bitcoin’s speed, efficiency, and security.
