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>>Bitcoin's hashpower returns as difficulty surges to its highest level in months.

Bitcoin's hashpower returns as difficulty surges to its highest level in months.

crypthub

about 5 hours ago

Hashing Power and Difficulty Adjustment

Bitcoin’s hashing power surged 15% after outages from extreme weather, pushing difficulty past 144 trillion. Earlier drops followed US winter storms that forced miners to shut down temporarily. Flexible power deals allowed some miners to redirect energy back to the grid, earning curtailment payments. Network difficulty resets every 2,016 blocks to maintain 10-minute block times, but higher difficulty increases mining costs for less efficient operations.

Regional Impact on Mining Operations

US-based mining pools like Foundry USA saw dramatic shifts in computing power, recovering from near 198 EH/s to over 400 EH/s. Many miners coordinated with utilities to conserve or redirect power during outages. These arrangements enable facilities to pause operations during grid stress, then resume when conditions improve. The US now contributes significantly to global hash power, linking regional policies and weather to global network security.

Price Volatility and External Factors

Bitcoin traded near $68,000 amid geopolitical tensions, with cautious trading and lighter volume. Price movements remain tied to headlines, showing investor sentiment sways with global news. Meanwhile, technical shifts like difficulty increases coexist with macroeconomic pressures. Political statements and geopolitical risks continue to influence market tone, keeping crypto prices range-bound despite protocol adjustments.