BTC difficulty jumps 15% largest increase since 2021, despite price slump
Bitcoin mining difficulty increased by 15%, the largest jump since 2021, even as the price remains relatively low.Summary
Bitcoin mining difficulty has surged by 15% to 144.4 trillion (T), marking the largest percentage increase since 2021, which saw a major adjustment following the China mining ban. This adjustment occurred despite Bitcoin's price slump, as the network's hashrate has recovered to 1 Zettahash per second (ZH/s) from a low of 826 Exahash per second (EH/s). Difficulty adjustments recalibrate every 2,016 blocks to maintain a 10-minute block time. The recent rise follows a 12% difficulty decline caused by severe winter storms in the U.S. that temporarily curtailed mining operations. Although the hashrate has rebounded alongside the price (now around $67,000), the hashprice—miners' revenue per unit of hashrate—remains at multi-year lows of about $23.9 per PH/s, pressuring profitability. Nevertheless, well-capitalized miners with access to cheap energy, such as those in the United Arab Emirates, continue to mine aggressively, sustaining the elevated hashrate.
(Source：CoinDesk)