Bitcoin News Today: Bitcoin's Zettahash Milestone Reveals a More Industrialized Mining Landscape

Bitcoin’s network has achieved an unprecedented milestone as its hashrate reached 1 zettahash per second (1 ZH/s) on a seven-day moving average, according to data from Glassnode. This marks the first time the network has sustained such a level, following previous brief touches of the threshold earlier this year. A zettahash equals 1,000 exahashes, and Bitcoin’s hashrate has grown from approximately 800 exahashes per second at the beginning of 2025 to this record level today [1].

The rapid increase in computing power is expected to prompt a significant difficulty adjustment of over 7% in the near future. Difficulty adjustments, which occur roughly every two weeks, are designed to maintain a consistent block time of approximately 10 minutes. Following this adjustment, difficulty will rise to 138.96 trillion (T), marking the second-largest upward adjustment of the year [1]. This adjustment reflects the expanding computational power being directed toward securing the Bitcoin network.

Meanwhile, Bitcoin’s mining difficulty has already hit an all-time high of 127.6 trillion, as reported by CoinWarz on August 3, 2025 [2]. This surge underscores the growing competition among miners as the network’s hashrate continues to rise. However, a downward adjustment is projected to occur on August 9, with a roughly 3% decrease expected, bringing difficulty down to 123.7 trillion [2]. The current average block time stands at approximately 10 minutes and 20 seconds, slightly above the 10-minute target, highlighting the ongoing adjustments in response to the network’s increasing computational power.

Bitcoin’s hashrate growth is a direct consequence of miner participation and technological advancements in mining hardware. Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), such as the Antminer S21 and WhatsMiner M60S, are now essential for competitive mining due to their high terahash output and energy efficiency [1]. The dominance of industrial-scale operations, which benefit from lower electricity costs and optimized infrastructure, has further solidified the network’s security and resilience [1]. These developments have pushed the network’s hashrate beyond previous expectations and into the zettahash range.

The rising difficulty and hashrate come amid declining transaction fee income for miners. As of August 2025, fees accounted for less than 0.8% of total block rewards, the lowest share in years [3]. Despite Bitcoin trading near $110,000, miner profitability has been squeezed by both declining fees and spot price volatility. The hashprice, which measures the value of a unit of hashrate, has fallen below $55 per petahash per second, reversing earlier gains from the quarter [3].

The combination of rising difficulty and falling profitability highlights the challenges facing miners, particularly those without access to low-cost electricity or efficient hardware. Solo mining, while still possible, has become increasingly impractical for most individuals, with success rates akin to a global lottery [1]. Those who do achieve solo mining success, however, can still earn block rewards worth approximately $350,000–$373,000, depending on Bitcoin’s price [1]. Despite the odds, there have been multiple instances of solo mining success in 2025, including notable examples on July 26, July 4, and August 17 [1].

The record hashrate and difficulty underscore Bitcoin’s growing computational strength and its ability to maintain predictable issuance despite fluctuating market conditions. These adjustments are critical for preserving the protocol’s core principles of decentralization and scarcity, as well as reinforcing Bitcoin’s position as a robust digital asset. However, the increasing costs and complexity of mining suggest that the space is becoming increasingly industrialized, favoring large-scale operations over individual participants.

Source:

[1] Bitcoin's 7 Day Average Hashrate Hits 1 ZettaHash for First Time (https://finance.yahoo.com/news/bitcoins-7-day-average-hashrate-111004876.html)

[2] Bitcoin mining difficulty hits all-time high (https://cryptorank.io/news/feed/f3e47-bitcoin-mining-difficulty-hits-ath)

[3] Bitcoin's 7D Hashrate Hits 1 ZH/s Milestone as Fees Slide (https://theminermag.com/news/2025-09-02/bitcoin-zetahash-fee-low)