On the morning of December 11, Bitcoin's mining difficulty decreased by 0.74%. According to Cloverpool, the indicator dropped to 148.2 T (trillion). This means that miners now need to compute approximately 148 trillion hash functions on average to add one block to the Bitcoin network and receive the new reward of 3.125 BTC (about $281,000 at the current exchange rate).
Today's drop in Bitcoin's mining difficulty is the third consecutive one. Such a prolonged decline was only observed in 2024 during the months following the halving, when the miners' reward was cut in half, and they turned off equipment that had become unprofitable.
The difficulty recalculation takes into account the reduced activity of miners, indicated by the global hashrate—the total power of all devices actively mining Bitcoin. The hashrate reached a maximum of 1.31 Zh/s (zettahashes per second) on October 24. As of 5:00 PM Moscow time on December 11, the average hashrate over the past 24 hours is 1.14 Zh/s.
"An Element of Industry Dynamics"
The current decrease in mining difficulty reflects the market's adaptation to a more restrained Bitcoin price, says Anton Gonterev, Commercial Director of Intelion. After reaching a new high of around $126,000 on October 6, the first cryptocurrency has since depreciated by 28%, to $90,000.
Nevertheless, a year ago, the difficulty was approximately at 104 T, and a growth of over 40% over the year indicates the continuation of structural demand for computing power, the expert says. According to him, investor interest in mining remains, and the market still highly values Bitcoin's long-term potential.
He noted that against this backdrop, the differences in mining costs are particularly noticeable: operators with predictable and competitive energy prices navigate such cycles much more confidently. This fully applies to sites with their own generation, where it is possible to maintain low electricity costs and reduce the impact of market fluctuations, the expert says.
"This is precisely why the current correction is perceived by us as a normal element of industry dynamics. Less efficient capacities are gradually leaving, and the share of mining is shifting to those who rely on modern equipment, sustainable infrastructure, and controlled project economics. Such operators remain stable regardless of short-term movements in difficulty or the price of Bitcoin," said Gonterev.
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