Bitcoin mining difficulty shrinks 14% from this year's high as plunging revenues force operators to pivot
Difficulty falls as weak mining economics reduce capacity, while forward markets signal little relief through year-end.
Source: CoinDesk
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DW NOTE
Bitcoin difficulty has fallen below year-ago levels for only the second time in network history — the first was China's 2021 mining ban. This time there's no regulatory shock, just economics: the halving cut block rewards in half, energy costs haven't fallen proportionally, and capital is migrating to AI infrastructure that generates actual revenue. A 19% drop from the November peak means miners who couldn't compete at $X per coin definitively can't compete at current levels.