Bitcoin Mining Difficulty Hits Record 135 Trillion Amid Falling Hashrate
On-chain data shows network difficulty at an all-time peak while hashrate slipped below one trillion hashes per second, tightening margins for smaller miners.
Bitcoin network difficulty surged to a record 135 trillion this week, requiring more computing power than ever to mine a block. At the same time, hashrate declined to 967 billion hashes per second from its August peak of over one trillion. Rising costs from electricity and equipment place pressure on smaller miners, raising concerns about industry centralization as larger pools absorb the strain. Despite challenges, three solo miners won blocks in July and August, earning rewards between $350,000 and $373,000 each. Historical data also shows September often brings negative returns for Bitcoin, though 2024 recorded a positive 7.29%, the best September on record.
- Mining Difficulty: A measure of how hard it is to find a new Bitcoin block, adjusting roughly every two weeks based on network hashrate.
- Hashrate: The total computational power dedicated to mining Bitcoin, measured in hashes per second.
- Block Subsidy: The fixed number of bitcoins awarded to miners for successfully adding a block to the blockchain, currently 3.125 BTC per block.