Bitcoin Miners Turn to AI Infrastructure Amid Rising Hashrate
The estimated network hashrate of Bitcoin recently pushed back towards record territory near one zettahash per second, but this milestone is adding pressure to miners who are already dealing with thinner economics and increasingly attractive alternatives in artificial intelligence infrastructure.
Rising hashrate strengthens Bitcoin's security but also intensifies competition among miners for essentially the same block rewards. The strain is visible in public-company results: Marathon Digital Holdings' energized mining hashrate rose 22% year over year to 70.3 EH/s in Q2 2026, yet quarterly revenue fell 27% to $174.9 million.
Mining companies are increasingly treating electricity itself as the valuable asset rather than viewing Bitcoin mining as its only use. Artificial intelligence has created another potential buyer for miners' power infrastructure: AI data centers require large quantities of reliable electricity, grid connections and data-center capacity, just like Bitcoin mines do.