Mining Monero isn’t “any hardware, good luck.” The network picked a proof of work that wants a normal CPU.
RandomX landed November 2019. It runs random programs and leans on memory so you can’t cheaply freeze the job into one chip and park it in a warehouse. Official line is ASIC-resistant, CPU-friendly. GPU can do it. CPU is the one that makes sense.
Before that it was CryptoNight. That one was supposed to be ASIC-hard too. Bitmain shipped boards anyway, so the algo got swapped. RandomX is the current bet: keep block rewards in reach of people with a box at home, not only whoever can order silicon.
Difficulty retargets every block. Tail emission keeps a miner budget after the main curve. Separate posts.
I run a spare-parts CPU fleet and a house node. If you’re hashing from a desk or a retired chip, this room is for that.
https://www.getmonero.org/resources/moneropedia/randomx.html
https://www.getmonero.org/get-started/mining/