Bitcoin difficulty surges 15% after hashrate recovery.

• Bitcoin difficulty rises as hashrate returns.
• Storm in the US had temporarily shut down mining operations.
• Network hits all-time record in difficulty increase.

The Bitcoin network recorded a strong Adjustment to mining difficulty, which increased by 14,7%. and reached 144,4 trillion. The movement represents the largest absolute increase ever observed, driven by the rapid recovery of computing power after disruptions caused by an intense winter storm in the United States.

The adjustment occurred in block 937.440, reversing the approximately 11% drop recorded in the previous period. Difficulty is a relative indicator that measures how complex it is to find a new block compared to the minimum possible level, and is automatically recalibrated every 2.016 blocks, approximately two weeks.

The goal of this mechanism is to maintain the average production time at around 10 minutes per block, regardless of the number of active miners. Recent data shows that, during the last cycle, blocks were being mined on average every 8 minutes and 47 seconds, a faster pace than predicted by the protocol.

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This performance was a direct reflection of the increase in hashrate — the measure of total processing power dedicated to the network. During this period, capacity jumped from approximately 884 exahashes per second to about 1.030 EH/s, indicating the return of a significant number of machines to operation.

The increase in difficulty represented an addition of approximately 18,5 trillion in absolute terms, surpassing all previous adjustments. The developer known as Mononaut highlighted the magnitude of the change by stating that "the last two adjustments eliminated 15,8 trillion from mining difficulty and then immediately added 18,5 trillion back." He added that "The entire Bitcoin network took over 11 years to reach a total difficulty of 15 trillion."

The recent volatility was a direct consequence of the extreme weather conditions in the US. During the most critical period of the storm, it is estimated that around 200 EH/s were temporarily disconnected, with large pools significantly reducing their operations. In some cases, the average block production time exceeded 12 minutes.

This behavior reflects a growing pattern in the industry, in which large mining operations act as flexible loads. Many companies participate in energy demand response programs, shutting down equipment during periods of strain on the power grid or when energy costs spike.

With the weather normalizing, the equipment was restarted and the hashrate quickly returned to previous levels. Investor and industry operator Marty Bent commented on the situation on social media: “The hashrate likely dropped on the network due to the harsh winter weather conditions in the US, and not because miners are worried about quantum computers.”

Despite the strong progress, the current level remains below the historical peak of difficulty, which exceeded 155 trillion in November 2025, indicating that the network is still in a recovery phase after the temporary interruptions.