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Bitcoin Mining Difficulty Increased by 3.12%
On May 15, following the latest network adjustment, Bitcoin mining difficulty increased by 3.12%, reaching 136.61 T.
Bitcoin mining difficulty increased again after the latest network adjustment. Source: CloverPool.
The metric remains approximately 8% below its level at the beginning of the year and more than 12% below the all-time high of 155.97 T recorded in October.
In 2026, mining difficulty has increased following only four out of ten adjustments. At the time of the latest recalculation, the network hash rate exceeded 1 ZH/s for the first time since February.
According to Glassnode, the network’s computational power measured by the 7-day moving average currently stands at around 994.6 EH/s.
Bitcoin network hash rate approached the 1 ZH/s level. Source: Glassnode.
Foundry USA Remains the Leading Mining Pool
Among mining pools, Foundry USA continues to lead with a 28.7% share of the global hash rate. It is followed by AntPool with 17.2% and ViaBTC with 11.3%.
Foundry USA remains the largest Bitcoin mining pool globally. Source: CloverPool.
TheMinerMag estimated that during the first quarter, the combined Bitcoin mining capacity of the ten leading publicly traded mining companies declined only slightly — from 297 EH/s to 291 EH/s.
However, behind this apparent stability, analysts identified a major redistribution of hash rate. Core Scientific, IREN, Cipher Digital, TeraWulf, and Keel Infrastructure sharply reduced their mining exposure while aggressively diversifying into artificial intelligence services.
Meanwhile, Bitdeer, MARA, and American Bitcoin significantly expanded operations, taking advantage of the available market share in mining.
Some mining companies are shifting toward AI services, while others are aggressively expanding hash rate. Source: TheMinerMag.
Hashprice Declines Amid Rising Difficulty
According to Hashrate Index, rising mining difficulty pushed hashprice down to approximately $36.6 per PH/s per day.
Additional pressure on mining profitability came from Bitcoin’s decline below the $80,000 level. Over the past 24 hours, the asset’s price dropped by approximately 2.4%, according to CoinMarketCap data.
Hashprice continues to decline amid falling Bitcoin prices and rising network difficulty. Source: Hashrate Index.
Earlier in March, Wintermute analysts stated that the traditional mining business model had become increasingly outdated due to declining profitability.
See also: "Bitcoin Mining Stocks Fell on Friday but Still Outperformed BTC in 2026"
