Bitcoin Mining Difficulty Hits New All-Time High

On August 22, Bitcoin mining difficulty reached 129.7 T, setting a new all-time high. Hashrate remains near record levels, while top pools control nearly 60% of the network.

Bitcoin difficulty rises again

On August 22, 2025, Bitcoin’s mining difficulty climbed to 129.7 T after the latest adjustment. Although the increase was only 0.2%, it pushed the metric to a new all-time high. Analysts note that difficulty has been rising for four consecutive periods, driven by strong mining activity and an average block interval consistently below 10 minutes.

The forecast suggests a further 1.15% increase in the coming weeks. According to Glassnode data, Bitcoin’s hashrate (7 DMA) stands at 945 EH/s, while the record peak of 966 EH/s was registered on August 7, reflecting the ongoing expansion of global mining capacity.

Public companies and pools dominate hashrate

Data from BitcoinMiningStock highlights that publicly listed mining firms now control 39.7% of Bitcoin’s total network power, strengthening their dominance in the market.

The pool distribution shows:

• Foundry USA at 32.8%;
• AntPool at 16.2%;
• ViaBTC at 11%.

Together, these three entities account for roughly 60% of the global Bitcoin hashrate, raising concerns about centralization risks in the mining industry.