Bitcoin’s seven-day average hashrate has reclaimed above 1 ZH/s, marking a seven-month high. The AI pivot has not delivered the breathing room remaining miners expected.

  • Mining difficulty rose 5.92% on Oct. 16.
  • BlocksBridge projects another 5.16% increase at the next adjustment.
  • Public miners’ realized hashrate fell 23%, while AI revenue jumped 52% quarter-over-quarter.

The displaced capacity represents roughly $1.5B in hardware, and smaller miners may be redeploying it through secondhand machines. Bitcoin’s security is strengthening, but miner margins face another squeeze; watch hashprice and miner selling before chasing upside.