With the current difficulty of mining the leading cryptocurrency and electricity costs at $0.08 per kWh, many popular ASIC miner models are nearing the break-even point. This is evidenced by data from Antpool.
On the verge of unprofitability are the Antminer S19 XP+ Hydro, WhatsMiner M60S, and Avalon A1466I. As long as Bitcoin’s price remains below $86,000, their operation does not yield profits.
Newer devices like the Antminer S21 have a break-even threshold in the range of $69,000-$74,000 per BTC. The most resilient models currently include the U3S23H and S23 Hydro, which remain profitable with the digital gold price above $44,000.
At the time of writing, Bitcoin is trading around $78,600. Over the past day, the asset’s price has risen by 3% after hitting a local low of approximately $75,000.
Challenging Conditions
On January 22, following the latest recalculation, the mining difficulty of the leading cryptocurrency decreased by 3.28% to 141.67 T. According to forecasts, the next adjustment will see a further reduction of 10.47% to 126.84 T.
According to Hashrate Index, Bitcoin’s network hashrate plummeted to 870 EH/s, the lowest level since June 2025. The cause was widespread miner shutdowns amid winter storms in the United States.
Hashprice fell to $34.8 per PH/s per day. Such levels were last observed in November.
Previously, Charles Edwards, founder of Capriole Investments, noted the worsening situation: production costs have fallen to $69,000, while electricity costs stand at $55,000.
Earlier, an expert known as Brett suggested the possibility of Bitcoin falling to $40,000.