Definition
Undervolting is the practice of lowering the operating voltage of mining chips to reduce power consumption. Since power scales with voltage squared, even small voltage reductions can yield significant power savings. The tradeoff is potentially lower hashrate or higher error rates if voltage drops too low.
Undervolting is popular among home miners who want to reduce electricity costs, heat output, and noise. Combined with a slight frequency reduction, undervolting can dramatically improve a miner’s efficiency (J/TH) and make previously unprofitable miners viable for residential use.
In Simple Terms
Lowering chip voltage to reduce power consumption and heat, improving efficiency for home mining.
Reducing the voltage supplied to ASIC chips below default settings to decrease power consumption and heat while maintaining or slightly reducing hashrate.