Bitcoin mining difficulty is set for an 8% cut, the largest since June
Blocks have taken about 10.9 minutes on average since the last change. The adjustment is due around 8:30 p.m. ET on November 13.
Bitcoin's mining difficulty is on course to fall about 8.2% at block 975,744, according to mempool.space's estimate at 11:48 UTC on November 13. That block is expected around 01:27 UTC on November 14, which is 8:27 p.m. ET on Friday, November 13.
Difficulty sets how hard it is for miners to find the next block. The network resets it every 2,016 blocks, roughly every two weeks. The aim is to keep blocks arriving about every 10 minutes, however many machines are mining.
Since the last reset on October 29, blocks have taken about 10.9 minutes on average, mempool.space data shows. Slower blocks mean less computing power is working on the network. The network's hashrate, its total computing power, was about 927 exahashes per second on November 13, according to mempool.space.
The biggest cut in five months
A cut of that size would be the largest since June 14, 2026, when difficulty fell about 10.1%, according to mempool.space's adjustment history. The previous reset, on October 29, raised difficulty about 5.5%.
The expected cut has grown this week. On November 10, estimates pointed to a cut of 6.5% to 6.8%, as Orange Wire reported. The final figure depends on how quickly the last blocks before the reset arrive, so it can still move.
What may be behind it
Miners earn new bitcoin and fees for each block, so a lower price cuts their income. Bitstamp's daily close fell from $73,698 on November 10 to $71,374 on November 12. On November 13, bitcoin touched $67,500 on Bitstamp, its lowest price since August 19.
Some public miners have also moved power and machines to AI data centers, as Orange Wire reported on November 6. Miners with older, less efficient machines are usually the first to switch off when income falls.
After the reset, the miners still running should find blocks more easily. With the same equipment, each one should then earn more bitcoin per day than before, if hashrate stays where it is.
The difficulty reset is how Bitcoin keeps its schedule without anyone in charge. When miners leave, the network makes mining easier, so new blocks and new coins keep arriving at a steady pace. A large cut is a sign that falling prices are squeezing miners.
Sources (6)
- mempool.space: Difficulty adjustment estimate (API)
- mempool.space: Difficulty adjustment history (API)
- mempool.space: Hashrate and difficulty, past week (API)
- Bitstamp: BTC/USD daily prices (API)
- Orange Wire: Bitcoin mining difficulty heads for a 6.5% to 6.8% cut around November 13
- Orange Wire: Public bitcoin miners keep leaving for AI
Not financial advice. How we report and check stories.
Found this useful? Tip the desk in sats at our Lightning address, tips@orangewirebtc.com. Tips are voluntary. They buy no extra content and no influence over coverage.
Liked this? Get five stories like it every week, plus one chart and one explainer. Free. Subscribe →