---
title: "15% of the world's Bitcoin mining machines are bleeding money while mining; veteran miners face a life-or-death test."
type: "News"
locale: "zh-CN"
url: "https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/280989650.md"
description: "15%-20% of Bitcoin miners are currently operating at a loss due to high electricity costs and reduced block rewards following the April 2024 halving. Traditional miners, often using outdated equipment, are particularly affected, while larger companies have upgraded to more efficient rigs. The situation is exacerbated by Bitcoin's fluctuating price and volatile transaction fees. Many small miners are selling their hardware or switching to altcoins, but these are not sustainable solutions. This crisis raises concerns about the centralization of mining power, threatening Bitcoin's decentralized nature."
datetime: "2026-03-30T09:19:26.000Z"
locales:
  - [zh-CN](https://longbridge.com/zh-CN/news/280989650.md)
  - [en](https://longbridge.com/en/news/280989650.md)
  - [zh-HK](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/280989650.md)
---

> 支持的语言: [English](https://longbridge.com/en/news/280989650.md) | [繁體中文](https://longbridge.com/zh-HK/news/280989650.md)


# 15% of the world's Bitcoin mining machines are bleeding money while mining; veteran miners face a life-or-death test.

Electricity bills exceeding mining revenue—this isn't a prediction, but the harsh reality experienced by 15%-20% of Bitcoin miners worldwide.

Bitcoin mining, once brimming with opportunities in the digital West, has now become a brutal arena where only the most efficient survive.

Industry reports show that 15%-20% of mining rigs globally are operating at a loss, with "traditional miners" using outdated equipment suffering the most severe financial blows in this crisis.

The Perfect Storm: A Triple Blow from Halving, Electricity Costs, and Fierce Competition Bitcoin mining is no longer the get-rich-quick game it once was. Miners secure the network by solving complex cryptographic puzzles and earn newly minted BTC as block rewards. But the rules of the game have become brutal. The April 2024 halving event reduced the block reward from 6.25 BTC to 3.125 BTC. Overnight, rewards were slashed by 50%, while operating costs remained unchanged. Coupled with soaring energy prices and dynamically adjusted network difficulty, many miners' profit margins have evaporated. For newcomers, network difficulty is like a puzzle that gets harder as more solvers join, ensuring a block is mined approximately every 10 minutes, but penalizing slower, less efficient players. Energy costs are the real killer. Bitcoin mining is an energy-intensive behemoth; the entire network consumes the equivalent of the electricity used by some medium-sized countries. In areas without cheap electricity (like Texas), costs hover around $0.30 per kilowatt-hour. Miners are being crushed. Legacy Miners: Relics of an Outdated Era. Who are these struggling traditional miners? They are typically small-scale operators or hobbyists who flocked to the industry during past Bitcoin booms (such as the 2017 or 2021 bull markets). Back then, secondhand ASIC miners could still be profitable if you had access to cheap electricity. Today, these machines are like dinosaurs, barely sustainable unless electricity is virtually free. Meanwhile, institutional giants like Marathon Digital and Riot Blockchain have upgraded to cutting-edge mining rigs, bulk-purchasing new hardware and securing low-cost energy contracts, typically in regions with abundant hydropower or renewable energy. Smaller players are stuck, unable to afford the upgrade costs, and can only watch their revenue dwindle. Imagine a small miner in a garage, staring at a bunch of buzzing S9 mining rigs, knowing that every kilowatt-hour consumed brings them one step closer to bankruptcy. The market situation is further exacerbated. While Bitcoin remains a speculative darling, its price has recently drifted away from its peak, hovering at levels that render inefficient mining setups unprofitable. Transaction fees are another source of revenue for miners, but they are volatile and often fail to fill the gap left by halving block rewards. Industry estimates suggest that 15%-20% of mining rigs globally are operating at a loss, burning cash just to keep them running. This is not a temporary setback, but a structural reckoning for those who don't have, or cannot adapt to. Survival Strategies: Limited Options for the Weak. For many traditional miners, the outlook is bleak. Some are selling their hardware at fire-sale prices. Think of Black Friday for mining rigs—except nobody's popping champagne to celebrate. Others are simply unplugging it to minimize their losses. A minority are transitioning to mining altcoins with GPUs if their ASIC miners can't handle Bitcoin's SHA-256 algorithm. Tokens like Litecoin or Dogecoin might provide a lifeline for repurposed equipment, but the volatility and low liquidity of these markets make them a gamble, not a strategy. There are also some creative exceptions. Miners are using waste heat from their mining rigs to heat greenhouses or power local businesses. But these are stopgap measures, not scalable solutions. The harsh reality is: Bitcoin mining is now a capital-intensive, fiercely competitive game, and nostalgia for the garage mining era can't cover electricity bills. Centralization Risks: A Threat to the Soul of Bitcoin. What does this cash crisis mean for the future of Bitcoin? On the surface, it's a brutal but natural weeding out. The exit of inefficient miners may streamline the industry, pushing it towards leaner, more environmentally friendly operations. Modern mining machines are far more energy efficient, and large players are increasingly utilizing renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, and even idle natural gas to reduce costs and mitigate environmental backlash. However, this reshuffling has a darker side: the risk of centralization. If small miners surrender en masse, computing power could concentrate in the hands of a few well-funded giants. Bitcoin's strength lies in its decentralized nature; a diverse global network of miners ensures that no single entity can control or censor transactions. However, data shows that the top five mining pools already control a significant share of global computing power, a trend that has worsened over the past decade. Further withdrawal of smaller players could exacerbate this situation, bringing us closer to scenarios like a 51% attack, where a single group controls enough power to manipulate the blockchain (e.g., rewriting transaction history or double-spending). While not imminent, this casts a shadow over Bitcoin's promise of freedom. A Necessary Evil: Is this crisis a bitter pill for Bitcoin's evolution? Let's consider this from a different perspective. Could this cash crisis be a bitter but necessary remedy for Bitcoin's evolution? A leaner industry can focus on sustainability and scalability. But the opposition is equally painful. Every miner that shuts down weakens network diversity. We also cannot ignore the human costs. Behind every mining rig that is unplugged is someone who poured their savings, time, and hope into this financial revolution, only to leave empty-handed. The road to Bitcoin mining is undoubtedly fraught with obstacles. This cash crisis is a stark warning, not only for traditional miners but for the entire ecosystem. Can it mature into a sustainable and scalable network while maintaining its decentralized spirit? The answer depends on the speed of innovation and adaptation. But for now, the numbers are harsh.

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