Bitcoin Mining

Bitcoin Network Breaks Hash Rate and Difficulty Record

Bitcoin’s network strength soared to unprecedented levels on Friday, marking a record in its hash rate, which subsequently triggered an upward adjustment in mining difficulty.
By
Colin Aulds
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Colin Aulds is a founder at 10NetZero, a off-grid Bitcoin mining company. He is also the former VP and founder at Billfodl, a Bitcoin wallet backup company, as well as PrivacyPros.io, a blog dedicated to helping every day people increase their privacy online. He earned his Bachelor of Business Administration from Belmont University in 2011.

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      September 20, 2023

Bitcoin Network Breaks Hash Rate and Difficulty Record

Bitcoin’s network showcased a notable boost on Friday, as its security strength, termed as the “hash rate,” surged to levels never seen before.

Key Takeaways

  • Bitcoin's network strength, or hash rate, witnessed a record-breaking surge, moving from 400 eh/s to 500 eh/s in a single day.
  • Following this increase, mining difficulty was automatically adjusted upward by 5%, marking the sixth highest adjustment in 2023.
  • The rise in hash rate and subsequent adjustment in mining difficulty indicate a growing and increasingly competitive Bitcoin mining industry, prompting miners to adapt.

The increase was extraordinary, marking the largest single-day growth in the Bitcoin system’s strength to date. Specifically, the hash rate rose from 400 eh/s (exahashes per second) to 500 eh/s.

This growth in network strength didn’t go unnoticed. In response to the surge, the system automatically adjusted the mining difficulty, increasing it by 5%.

This revision, while positioning as the sixth highest adjustment this year, not only reflects the rapid evolution of the industry but also points to the complexities and challenges that come with such growth.

Bitcoin’s adaptive nature becomes evident as it responds to these meteoric rises in strength. Miners, the individuals and entities responsible for verifying transactions and securing the network, are now faced with an even more challenging environment.

The hash rate acts as an indicator of competitiveness in the mining industry. An increase in mining difficulty signifies that miners must now seek cheaper energy sources or turn to more efficient mining equipment to sustain profitable operations.

Article Sources

BuyBitcoinWorldWide writers are subject-matter experts and base their articles on firsthand information, like interviews with experts, white papers or original studies and experience. We also use trusted research and studies from other well-known sources. You can learn more about our editorial guidelines.

  1. Glassnode - Mining Difficulty, https://studio.glassnode.com/dashboards/btc-miners
  2. Glassnode - Mean Hash Rate, https://studio.glassnode.com/metrics?a=BTC&m=mining.HashRateMean&resolution=24h

About the Author

colin aulds

Colin Aulds is a founder at 10NetZero, an off-grid Bitcoin mining company. He is the former VP and founder at Billfodl, a Bitcoin wallet backup company, as well as PrivacyPros, a blog dedicated to helping every day people improve their privacy. He also runs the popular Unhashed Podcast. Colin holds a bachelors degree from Belmont University (BBA).