Bitcoin mining difficulty increased by 15% to 144.4 T, marking the largest increase since 2021

According to CoinDesk, Bitcoin mining difficulty has been adjusted to 144.4 T, an increase of 15%, marking the largest percentage increase since 2021.

Prior to this adjustment, mining difficulty had been reduced by 12% due to the impact of winter storms in the U.S. that forced miners to scale back operations. Currently, the total network hash rate for Bitcoin has rebounded to 1 ZH/s, while the price of Bitcoin has risen to around $67,000. Although the hash price is at a multi-year low of 23.9 PH/s, limiting miners' profit margins, large operators with low-cost energy are still actively mining. Among them, the mining operations in the United Arab Emirates hold approximately $344 million in unrealized profits. Additionally, some publicly listed mining companies are shifting their energy and computing power towards AI and high-performance computing data centers. For instance, Bitfarms (BITF) has announced a name change to downplay its Bitcoin identity and increase focus on AI infrastructure, while activist investor Starboard has urged Riot Platforms (RIOT) to further expand its AI data center business.