Crypto News- In just under a month, Bitcoin’s mining puzzle has notched up a historic 7.33% surge, reaching an all-time high of 75.50T at block height 828,576 on Feb. 2. This marks the steepest climb in difficulty this year, posing the toughest mining conditions in Bitcoin’s illustrious history. The relentless rise underscores the escalating hurdles and computational demands confronting miners on the cusp of the impending halving.
Bitcoin Mining Difficulty Skyrockets to Unprecedented Heights with 7.3% Surge, Setting a New All-Time High
This latest difficulty adjustment, a routine part of the network’s cadence to maintain a 10-minute block discovery time, sharply contrasts the 3.90% dip observed on Jan. 20, 2024. Bitcoin’s network adapts every two weeks, aligning with shifts in computational power. With the difficulty now towering at 75.50 trillion, the quest for mining a valid Bitcoin block demands heightened computational prowess, stretching miners and their resources.
The timing couldn’t be more crucial as the Bitcoin community braces for the fourth halving, set to unfold in less than 11,500 blocks. The halving will halve the reward for a new block from 6.25 to 3.125 bitcoins, intensifying the scramble among miners for diminishing rewards.
Hashrate Resilience Amidst the Challenge
Despite the soaring difficulty, the collective hash rate of the Bitcoin network remains robust, averaging 536 exahash per second (EH/s) over a seven-day moving average — a hair’s breadth away from the all-time high of 566 EH/s on Jan. 29, 2024.
Foundry USA and Antpool emerge as dominant players, controlling over 60% of the total hashrate, with Foundry USA leading the charge at 31.94%, closely followed by Antpool.
The next mining difficulty adjustment slated for Feb. 15, 2024, will be closely monitored by the mining community as it navigates the heightened difficulty and readies itself for the impending halving. These twin challenges promise to reshape the economics of Bitcoin mining significantly.
As the record-breaking mining difficulty takes center stage, the competitive landscape of Bitcoin mining unfolds, showcasing the relentless growth and resilience of the network. Miners, adapting to the new difficulty frontier, spark broader discussions on cryptocurrency market implications and network security — a narrative keenly observed by stakeholders.
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