- Bitcoin mining difficulty is set to increase slightly on December 11 at block 927,360.
- The hashprice, measuring miner profitability, remains near record lows close to $38 per petahash per day.
- A hashprice of $40 per petahash per day represents the break-even point for miners.
- Bitmain, the dominant manufacturer of mining hardware, is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for possible security risks.
- Potential restrictions on Bitmain could cause supply chain disruptions affecting the crypto mining sector.
The Bitcoin (BTC) network is scheduled to adjust its mining difficulty on December 11 at approximately 12:09:34 AM UTC, during block 927,360. This change will slightly increase the mining difficulty from about 149.30 trillion to 149.80 trillion, according to data from CoinWarz. The previous adjustment, which occurred recently, lowered difficulty from 152.2 trillion to 149.3 trillion, moving the average block time to 9.97 minutes, just under the 10-minute target.
Despite this modest difficulty increase, the hashprice—an essential indicator of miner profitability measured in dollars earned per petahash (PH) of computing power daily—remains near historical lows. It is currently around $38.3 per PH per day, recovering slightly from a record low under $35 reached on November 21, as shown by the Hashrate Index. A hashprice of $40 per PH per day marks the break-even point miners need to maintain operations without losses.
The mining industry faces ongoing challenges, including regulatory restrictions, increasing energy expenses, and geopolitical tensions affecting supply chains. The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is examining Bitmain, a leading China-based manufacturer of application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) used in proof-of-work cryptocurrency mining.
This probe is investigating whether Bitmain‘s machines could be remotely accessed or exploited for espionage. In 2024, U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren raised concerns that ASIC devices might be used to spy on sensitive military sites. Holding approximately 80% of the market share, Bitmain is crucial to the mining equipment supply, according to a report by the University of Cambridge referenced here.
Any U.S. sanctions, tariffs, or restrictions on Bitmain could disrupt global hardware availability and impact Bitcoin mining operations worldwide.
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