Bitcoin’s next difficulty rise could leave some rigs earning less than their power bill
At unchanged Bitcoin price, subsidy and fees, the projected Oct. 16 retarget could push 20 J/TH equipment paying 8 cents/kWh below its electricity-only threshold. Read the full story on CryptoSlate Understand the crypto stories that matter and what to watch next. Get The Catalyst in your inbox
Bitcoin's projected Oct. 16 difficulty retarget could push 20 J/TH mining rigs paying 8 cents/kWh below their electricity-only breakeven threshold, assuming the BTC price, block subsidy and fee levels stay unchanged. Miners running older or less efficient hardware would be forced to shut down or upgrade, reducing network hashrate and potentially pressuring the market if operators liquidate BTC reserves to cover costs. Traders watch this because rising difficulty squeezes miner margins, which can feed into sell pressure and shifts in network fundamentals.
