Since entering 2026, with the drop in BTC prices, Bitcoin mining difficulty has decreased by 15%. If calculated from the peak in November 2025, mining difficulty has dropped by 19.4%. This shows that the price drop has already caused some miners to struggle, especially some U.S. miners—I’ve heard they’ve started transitioning to data centers. On one hand, it’s because electricity costs in the U.S. have risen, and on the other hand, the demand for AI data centers is much higher. Globally, 2026 is bound to be a year of competition for electricity. Electricity is the foundation of computing power, and this is making things even worse for Bitcoin, whose price is already declining. I’ve heard that some mining machine manufacturers are also having a tough time—new machines are being sold at discounts, and the second-hand market is in complete chaos. Currently, mining regulations in Xinjiang are still very strict, and Africa has become a popular destination for many miners to explore. It’s very likely that 2026 will see a wave of miners being wiped out. @bitget VIP, lower fees, crazier perks