Bitcoin hashrate hits seven-month high as public miners shift capacity to AI

By Khal · · 2 min read

Editorial illustration: Rows of amber-lit mining machines face a blue-lit server displaying connected glowing nodes, with computing modules on rails between them.
AI-generated editorial illustration · AI-generated editorial illustration · Published Oct 23, 2026, 2:41 a.m. (1 hour ago)

In brief

  • Bitcoin's seven-day average hashrate topped 1 zettahash per second for the first time since March 3.
  • BlocksBridge projects a 5.16% difficulty rise after a 5.92% jump on Oct. 16.
  • Public miners' realized hashrate fell 23% as they redirected resources toward AI, per BlocksBridge.
  • Starknet's non-binding poll drew 93.52% support for research into an independent, post-quantum layer-1.
  • PHP released emergency patches for two critical flaws first spotted in 2024.

Hashrate climbs while public miners pivot

Bitcoin's seven-day average hashrate climbed above 1 zettahash per second for the first time since March 3. Mining difficulty rose 5.92% on Oct. 16, and BlocksBridge projects another 5.16% increase at the next adjustment. Combined, that's an 11.4% increase across two adjustments, and it makes it harder for miners to earn rewards.

The biggest public miners aren't the ones pushing it up. Publicly traded mining companies reported a 23% decline in realized hashrate as they redirect resources toward AI, according to BlocksBridge, and their AI-related revenue rose 52% quarter over quarter. BlocksBridge estimates roughly $1.5 billion worth of mining equipment has been displaced by that transition.

So where did the machines go? Cointelegraph's Oct. 22 roundup suggested some of that hardware may be finding new buyers among smaller miners with access to cheaper electricity (that part is speculation, not a confirmed flow).

Starknet backs post-quantum L1 research

Starknet's community voted to support research into becoming an independent, post-quantum layer-1 blockchain. According to StarkWare, the seven-day poll closed Thursday with about 3,200 votes and 93.52% of voting power in favor, the highest participation in Starknet's governance history. StarkWare said it abstained.

The poll was non-binding.

It lets StarkWare and the Starknet Foundation proceed with research into an independent L1, but an actual shift would need a separate, binding governance vote. For now, Starknet keeps operating as an Ethereum layer-2.

“We’re beginning work on a whitepaper even before we start the weekend, and hope to release a draft for public scrutiny in November,” StarkWare CEO Eli Ben-Sasson told Cointelegraph.

PHP flaw sat unpatched since 2024

Government agencies and other organizations worldwide took websites offline Wednesday as a precaution while PHP released emergency patches for two related critical vulnerabilities. The flaws could let unauthenticated attackers execute code on affected servers without logging in.

In a blog post relayed by Cointelegraph, the PHP Foundation said its developers first found signs of the vulnerability in 2024 but struggled to find a fix that wouldn't disrupt the PHP software ecosystem. It acknowledged that indecision and a shortage of resources delayed the fix, and it called the stalled response a "structural failure."

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