BTC mining difficulty forecast to rise in Dec, as hashprice sits near record lows
Analysis
Price Impact
MedThe projected rise in bitcoin mining difficulty in december, coupled with hashprice sitting near record lows (below the break-even point for many miners), puts significant pressure on miner profitability. additionally, the dhs investigation into bitmain, a dominant mining hardware manufacturer, introduces potential supply chain disruptions and regulatory risks.
Trustworthiness
HighThe information is sourced from cointelegraph, a reputable crypto news outlet, citing data from coinwarz and hashrate index, which are established data providers in the mining sector.
Price Direction
BearishReduced miner profitability due to rising difficulty and low hashprice can lead to increased selling pressure as miners liquidate btc to cover operational costs or upgrade equipment. the potential for supply chain issues with mining hardware due to the bitmain investigation adds further uncertainty and could hinder network growth.
Time Effect
LongWhile the next difficulty adjustment is short-term (december 11), the underlying issues of sustained low hashprice, ongoing miner profitability challenges, and the potential long-term impact of regulatory actions against key hardware manufacturers like bitmain suggest a prolonged effect on the mining ecosystem and potential sustained selling pressure.
Original Article:
Article Content:
Vince Quill 3 minutes ago BTC mining difficulty forecast to rise in Dec, as hashprice sits near record lows Bitcoin miners caught a break on Thursday as difficulty dropped, but the relief may be short-lived if it rises in December, as forecast. Listen 0:00 News COINTELEGRAPH IN YOUR SOCIAL FEED The Bitcoin ( BTC ) mining difficulty is projected to increase during the next difficulty adjustment scheduled for December 11, as hashprice, a critical metric that measures expected miner profitability per unit of computing power, sits at record lows. Bitcoin’s next mining difficulty adjustment is expected to occur at block 927,360 at about 12:09:34 AM UTC, marginally increasing the difficulty from 149.30 trillion to 149.80 trillion, according to CoinWarz . The most recent adjustment, which occurred on Thursday, decreased the difficulty from 152.2 trillion to 149.3 trillion, resulting in an average blocktime of about 9.97 minutes at the time of this writing, slightly below the 10-minute target. Bitcoin’s mining difficulty from 2014-2025. Source: CoinWarz Despite the recent drop in mining difficulty, hashprice is hovering around $38.3 petahashes per second (PH/s) per day, according to Hashrate Index , up from the record low below $35 PH/s reached on November 21. For context, a hashprice of $40 PH/s is a break-even level for miners and the point where they must consider de-energizing their machines or continuing to operate. Bitcoin mining hashprice, a critical metric for miner profitability, sits below the $40 mark and is hovering near record lows. Source: Hashrate Index The mining industry continues to face mounting challenges, including regulatory bans or restrictions , rising energy costs, and geopolitical tensions between the United States and China that could disrupt critical equipment supply chains. Related: Thirteen years after the first halving, Bitcoin mining looks very different in 2025 US probes the largest manufacturer of crypto mining hardware, triggering fears of shortages The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is investigating mining hardware manufacturer Bitmain , which is based in China, to determine whether its machines can be remotely accessed or used for espionage purposes. In 2024, US Senator Elizabeth Warren, one of crypto’s most vocal critics, suggested that ASICs could be used for spying on US military bases and sensitive national defense installations. Bitmain is the leading manufacturer of the application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) used to mine proof-of-work (PoW) cryptocurrencies. The company commands an 80% market share, according to the University of Cambridge. Restrictions, tariffs, or sanctions imposed on the company by US officials could trigger supply chain issues for the mining industry, which is heavily reliant on Bitmain. Magazine: AI may already use more power than Bitcoin — and it threatens Bitcoin mining # Bitcoin # Mining # Bitcoin Mining # Bitmain # United States Add reaction