Bitcoin Hashrate Tops 1 Zettahash per Second as Mining Competition Intensifies

Bitcoin's seven-day average network hashrate has rebounded above 1 zettahash per second (1,000 EH/s), touching 1,080.23 EH/s to reach its highest level since March 3. The recovery follows an upward trajectory from a July low of 726 EH/s, driven by efficient hardware deployments and private operators absorbing capacity offloaded by public miners shifting toward AI data centers. The surge in computing power pushed mining difficulty up 5.92% to 140.58 trillion on October 16. However, faster block generation times and a sliding hashprice—down to $36.04 per PH/s daily—continue to compress miner profit margins.