Bitcoin Mining Difficulty Edges to All-Time High

The bump in mining difficulty comes as hashrate remains strong, despite bitcoin’s price edging downward.

AccessTimeIconSep 14, 2022 at 5:17 a.m. UTC
Updated May 11, 2023 at 6:47 p.m. UTC

On-chain data shows that bitcoin’s (BTC) mining difficulty has crossed an all-time high with its latest jump, the second in two weeks.

  • Bitcoin’s mining difficulty increased by 3.45% at block height 753,984 to 32.05 trillion hashes.
  • This is the second significant recent increase. On Aug. 31, the difficulty jumped by 9.26%.
  • Given bitcoin’s compressed value, with recent declines on high CPI numbers, and a possible bottoming out as low as $10,000, profitability is narrowing for miners.
  • Despite concerns about profitability, the average hash rate remains above 200 exahash per second at 229.39 EH/s, close to the all-time high of 231 EH/s.
CoinDesk - Unknown
BitBitcoin: Mean hashrate (7-day moving average) (Glassnode)
  • On-chain data shows that Digital Currency Group-owned Foundry USA is currently contributing 28% of the total global hash rate followed by AntPool at 16.15%.
  • CoinDesk is an independent subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, the crypto-focused conglomerate that also owns Grayscale and TradeBlock.

DISCLOSURE

Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information has been updated.

The leader in news and information on cryptocurrency, digital assets and the future of money, CoinDesk is a media outlet that strives for the highest journalistic standards and abides by a strict set of editorial policies. CoinDesk is an independent operating subsidiary of Digital Currency Group, which invests in cryptocurrencies and blockchain startups. As part of their compensation, certain CoinDesk employees, including editorial employees, may receive exposure to DCG equity in the form of stock appreciation rights, which vest over a multi-year period. CoinDesk journalists are not allowed to purchase stock outright in DCG.


Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk’s longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.