The seven-day average hashrate for Bitcoin has surpassed 1 ZH/s, marking its highest level since early March, according to BlocksBridge Consulting. Following this increase in computing power, the mining difficulty rose by 5.92% to 140.58 T during the October 16 adjustment. Analysts project a further increase of approximately 5.16% in the next cycle.
Data from September shows that public mining companies reduced their realized hashrate by 15% in the first half of the year, while their revenue from AI and HPC services grew by 52% in the second quarter compared to the first. Experts estimate the value of the redirected equipment at $1.5 billion, based on a cost of $20 per TH/s.
Despite the shift toward AI, some ASIC miners are being acquired by smaller operators with access to low-cost electricity, such as Sazmining, which deploys used Antminer S21 XP units in Paraguay and Texas. Additionally, Bitdeer has expanded its own hashrate to 82.3 EH/s in September, up from 35 EH/s a year ago, while its third-party managed capacity reached 28.7 EH/s.
Ki Young Ju, founder of CryptoQuant, described the hashrate recovery as an indirect bullish signal. He noted that increased computing power enhances network security and reflects long-term interest from institutional investors, who are increasingly financing public mining operations.
