Bitcoin network hashrate returns to 1 ZH/s for first time since 3 March

Key points

• Hashprice fell to $36.04 per PH/s per day from $40.42 on 25 Sept 2026, while difficulty rose 5.92%.
• Next-generation rigs from Bitmain and MicroBT run below 10 J/TH, helping offset major miners' move into AI.

Bitcoin's seven-day average hashrate has returned above 1 zettahash per second, Bitcoin.com News reports, the first time it has cleared that level since 3 March. The network was running at 1,080.23 EH/s, or 1.08023 ZH/s, after its latest difficulty adjustment about nine days earlier at block height 971712.

The recovery comes as several large mining firms move equipment and capital into artificial intelligence and other high-performance computing. Smaller, solo and privately held operations appear to be filling the gap, helped by two years of hardware advances. The most advanced rigs now exceed 1 PH/s, and machines from Bitmain and MicroBT run below 10 J/TH, using less power for the same output.

Blocks arrived every 9 minutes and 31 seconds on average over the past 24 hours.

The hashrate is still below earlier peaks of roughly 1.3 to 1.44 ZH/s, though well above July's low near 726 EH/s. Bitcoin traded near $80,000, and its dollar value fell over the past 30 days, adding pressure on hashprice. The next difficulty adjustment is expected on 29 Oct.

What to watch: The next difficulty adjustment is expected on 29 Oct, and the faster block pace suggests it will bring another increase.

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