Bitcoin Mining Difficulty Reaches Record High, Pressures Miner Profits

Bitcoin miners face increased pressure as the network's mining difficulty reached a new all-time high on September 19. This rise in difficulty, a built-in feature responding to changes in hash rate, signifies more powerful hardware entering the market.

The difficulty increase enhances Bitcoin's security but raises operational costs for miners, who need more resources for the same rewards.
Recent data shows a direct impact on miners' profits, with about 453.22 BTC distributed among them over 24 hours valued at over $52 million.
Top mining pools like Foundry USA, AntPool, and ViaBTC dominate the network, controlling over 63% of blocks found.
Some large-scale miners are diversifying into sectors like AI due to thinning profit margins.
Smaller pools face tougher choices amid growing operational and regulatory challenges.

Chart showcasing the Bitcoin mining difficulty rate growth over the past year.