Bitcoin Miners Struggle With Harsh January While Some Eye AI Shift

Mark
Addressing Technological Hurdles and Breakthroughs in Storing Bitcoin
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Leading Bitcoin miners on Wall Street reported mixed results for January 2025. Unstable weather and shifting mining difficulty made it tough for some, while others pushed through.

MARA had a rough month. The company mined 750 Bitcoin, down 12% from December’s 865. Their hashrate stayed at 53.2 EH/s, with no new machines coming online.

MARA’s CEO, Fred Thiel, said the drop came from difficulty spikes and power interruptions. He pointed out that after relocating over 100,000 miners in late 2024, the focus was now on making their fleet more efficient, especially in Texas and Nebraska.

Riot Platforms went the other way. The company boosted production by 2%, mining 527 Bitcoin. Riot expanded its hashrate to 33.5 EH/s and completed work on its Corsicana Facility.

But instead of going ahead with a 600 MW expansion, they hit pause, rethinking plans and exploring AI-related opportunities. CEO Jason Les noted that Riot managed to grow even as network difficulty increased.

CleanSpark broke new ground. They passed the 40 EH/s mark, producing 626 Bitcoin. Extreme weather hit operations, but they still held over 10,500 BTC in reserve. CEO Zach Bradford called it a big month despite setbacks, with expansion continuing in Tennessee, Georgia, and Wyoming. The company also celebrated five years on Nasdaq.

Hut 8 focused on long-term moves. Instead of mining gains, they worked on infrastructure, gearing up for new miners. The 205 MW Vega project is still set to go live in Q2 2025, part of a deal with BITMAIN.

CEO Asher Genoot said the upgrades meant some downtime, but the company aimed to get the most out of its current fleet while adjusting operations at key sites where power costs were high. Their production slipped from 89 BTC in December to 65 BTC.

More Bitcoin miners are branching out. Some are looking at AI infrastructure while keeping mining operations going. With unpredictable weather and rising network difficulty, companies are being forced to adapt fast.

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Mark is the kind of person who gets way too excited about new software updates and can’t resist taking apart gadgets—just to see if they can put them back together. With years of experience in tech journalism and a love for all things digital, Mark writes about the stories behind the screens, from game-changing innovations to the everyday tech that keeps life running smoothly. Outside of work, they’re the go-to “tech support” for friends and family, whether it’s fixing a printer that won’t cooperate or explaining why Grandma’s laptop keeps showing pop-ups. When Mark isn’t glued to their screen, they’re probably building their dream PC, rewatching sci-fi movies for the hundredth time, or testing a gadget that promises to “change everything.” Spoiler: they’ll let you know if it actually does.