Bitcoin Mining Hashrate Nears 1 ZH/s as AI Data Centers Squeeze Miner Profits

Bitcoin’s network computing power is pushing back toward record territory near one zettahash per second, but the milestone is adding pressure to miners already dealing with thinner economics and increasingly attractive alternatives in artificial intelligence infrastructure.

Bitcoin’s estimated network hashrate was around 974 EH/s on Sept. 1, after exceeding 1.03 ZH/s on Aug. 31 and crossing the one-zettahash threshold several times during August. Hashrate estimates fluctuate because network computing power is inferred from block production rather than directly measured in real time.

More computing power strengthens Bitcoin’s security, but it also intensifies competition among miners for essentially the same block rewards.

Rising Hashrate Pressures Bitcoin Miner Revenue

The pressure is visible in hashprice, an industry metric estimating daily mining revenue generated by a unit of computing power.

Hashrate Index recently placed Bitcoin hashprice near $39 per PH/s per day, leaving less room for miners with older machines or higher electricity costs.

As more computing power joins the network, Bitcoin’s difficulty mechanism adjusts upward to keep block production near one block every 10 minutes. A miner therefore has to keep expanding hashrate simply to maintain the same share of network rewards.