Bitcoin mining difficulty, a measure of how hard it is to mine a block and earn rewards, has hit a record high, according to data provided by BTC.com.
The mining difficulty has climbed by 2.18% to hit a new peak of 52.35 trillion at block height 794,304.
The current average hashrate of the entire network, another crucial metric, is at 383.87 exahashes per second, which is close to the all-time high.
For the uninitiated, mining difficulty is a relative measure of the amount of resources required to mine new Bitcoin. As more miners join the network and the rate of block creation increases, the difficulty adjusts to ensure that the time it takes to generate a new block remains approximately 10 minutes. This adjustment happens every 2016 blocks, or roughly every two weeks.
A higher difficulty level indicates more competition among miners to solve the mathematical problem that allows a new block to be added to the blockchain.
Data from the beginning of the year shows a fluctuating, but overall increasing, trend in Bitcoin mining difficulty. After reaching a low point of 34.09 trillion at block height 770,112 in early January, the difficulty level has generally been rising, with a few occasional dips. The most notable spike was a 10.26% increase to 37.59 trillion at block height 772,128 on Jan. 15. Despite minor drops in early February and May, the difficulty level has continued its upward trajectory, culminating in the recent record high.The recent increase in mining difficulty may signify a healthy and active Bitcoin network, with more miners vying to add new blocks. However, this heightened competition also increases the resources and computational power required to mine new Bitcoin, making the process more complex.
Arman Shirinyan
