Bitcoin’s mining difficulty adjusted upward by 3.2% in the latest epoch change, reflecting a sustained increase in global computing power dedicated to securing the network. The hash rate has now reached approximately 890 exahashes per second — a new all-time high.
The adjustment means miners must perform more computational work to discover a valid block, increasing the cost of production for each new bitcoin. For miners operating at thin margins, the difficulty rise squeezes profitability at current price levels around $78,000.
Despite profitability pressure, new mining capacity continues to come online. Major US publicly traded miners including Riot Platforms, Marathon Digital, and CleanSpark have collectively added more than 15 exahashes of capacity in Q1 2026 alone.
“The economics still work for efficient miners,” said analyst Kristy Leigh-Minemaker. “Break-even for most US industrial operators is in the $55,000–$65,000 range with electricity at $0.04 per kWh.” The next difficulty adjustment is expected around May 2.
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