Bitcoin mining difficulty drops 7.76% to 133.79T after slower blocks as miners shift capacity to AI/HPC and some liquidate BTC

first published 2026-03-21T11:58:18Z

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On March 20, Bitcoin’s mining difficulty fell ~7.7% to 133.79 trillion at block 941,472 after average block times slowed to ~12m36s over the prior 2,016 blocks, forcing a downward recalibration. Difficulty was roughly 145T in mid‑March and ~148T at the start of the year; the next adjustment is estimated for April 3. The reset follows miners reallocating capacity toward AI and high‑performance computing amid electricity competition, with firms including Core Scientific, Marathon (MARA), Hut 8 and Cipher Mining pivoting workloads. Bitdeer liquidated 943 BTC and reported zero corporate holdings as of March 21.

AI Analysis

Difficulty fell ~7.7% (to 133.79T) due to slower block production (avg ~12m36s over 2,016 blocks); miners are reallocating capacity to AI/HPC and at least one firm (Bitdeer) liquidated 943 BTC and reported zero holdings — facts that increase near‑term sell pressure risk and reduced hashrate, supporting a modestly bearish outlook.

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