Bitcoin's price fell below $90K, erasing year-to-date gains and returning valuations to late 2024 levels in recent trading period. The decline coincides with reports that some miners intermittently redirect capacity to artificial intelligence workloads, affecting block intervals and revenue dynamics.

Observed block delays and temporary switching

Miners reportedly paused Bitcoin mining for periods that exceeded normal block times, with one reported interruption lasting 17 minutes compared with an average near 10 minutes. There are documented cases when the next block appeared only after 85 minutes, and sometimes after more than two hours, according to published reports.

«Ugh... why didn't I switch to AI?»

The temporary redirection of hashpower to non-Bitcoin tasks can delay block discovery and change short-term network metrics, although these events remain episodic rather than continuous network phenomena.

Economic pressure on miners

Mining operators face declining per-unit returns: since 2021 measured profitability per unit of computing power has fallen by 10.5 times over a period of 4 years. This drop reflects increased competition and the protocol's difficulty adjustment, which raises mining costs as more participants join.

To stay competitive, firms regularly update hardware and manage power and operational expenses; these investment cycles determine whether individual miners remain viable under current market conditions.

Outlook for mining in 2025

Mining is likely to continue while the Bitcoin network operates, but its attractiveness for new or marginal operators depends on electricity costs, equipment efficiency and alternative revenue opportunities such as providing compute for AI workloads.

Ultimately, the balance between short-term revenue pressures and long-term network incentives will shape whether more capacity is redirected to other sectors or remains dedicated to Bitcoin mining.