Proof-of-Spiking-Neurons(PoSN): Neuromorphic Consensus for Next-Generation Blockchains

TL;DR

This paper introduces Proof-of-Spiking-Neurons (PoSN), a neuromorphic consensus protocol inspired by neural dynamics, aiming to improve blockchain scalability, energy efficiency, and decentralization.

Contribution

PoSN is the first blockchain consensus protocol leveraging spiking neural networks, offering parallel, event-driven, and energy-efficient validation.

Findings

Significant energy savings compared to PoB and PoR

Higher throughput and faster convergence

Effective implementation on neuromorphic hardware

Abstract

Blockchain systems face persistent challenges of scalability, latency, and energy inefficiency. Existing consensus protocols such as Proof-of-Work (PoW) and Proof-of-Stake (PoS) either consume excessive resources or risk centralization. This paper proposes \textit{Proof-of-Spiking-Neurons (PoSN)}, a neuromorphic consensus protocol inspired by spiking neural networks. PoSN encodes transactions as spike trains, elects leaders through competitive firing dynamics, and finalizes blocks via neural synchronization, enabling parallel and event-driven consensus with minimal energy overhead. A hybrid system architecture is implemented on neuromorphic platforms, supported by simulation frameworks such as Nengo and PyNN. Experimental results show significant gains in energy efficiency, throughput, and convergence compared to PoB and PoR. PoSN establishes a foundation for sustainable, adaptive blockchains suitable for IoT, edge, and large-scale distributed systems.