Bitcoin miners have come under pressure this week as a rise in mining difficulty has resulted in a slump in earnings, making it difficult for many to function.
With crypto prices slipping and mining difficulty climbing, many rigs are no longer making enough to cover their electricity bills.
Fresh data from Antpool shows several machines have already crossed their “shutdown price,” meaning it costs more to run them than the bitcoin they generate.
Data highlights that at an average power cost of $0.08 per kWh, older and mid-tier models have slipped into the red.
For miners, it’s a tough spot: either switch off less-efficient machines or keep running them at a loss while hoping market conditions improve.
A mix of volatile prices and harsh winter conditions have hurt the overall Bitcoin mining industry, resulting in many operators now gauging the conditions for cues on any improvement.
Bitcoin price drop pushes mining rigs near break-even
Some traders are still hoping Bitcoin might bounce from current levels, but overall confidence in the market remains shaky.
A number of analysts believe the worst may not be over yet, with some even warning that prices could slip further and test the psychological $50,000 mark.
At the same time, the pressure on miners is growing. As prices weaken, running even newer machines is becoming harder to justify.
The Antminer S21 series, which are hightech cryptocurrency mining machines, are now dangerously close to breakeven levels.
As Bitcoin currently hovers around $70,603.56 on February 5, 2026, these machines are now nearing shut down levels ranging from $69,000 to $74,000, highlighting how tight margins are in the mining space right now.
Bitcoin miners struggle as harsh weather adds to industry pressures
Bitcoin miners are having a hard time, and the recent weather conditions have not helped.
A severe winter storm in North America caused several large mining facilities to curtail or temporarily cease operations, which helped stabilize local energy grids.
Mining is a tough process, and while the difficulty level for miners has reduced by 1 percent in early 2026 to 146.4 trillion, it is still close to a record.
This implies that miners have to use more computing power and energy in order to mine the same rewards in Bitcoin.
With the fall in the prices of Bitcoin and the rise in the cost of mining, some miners are faced with a dilemma of whether to continue or stop mining.