## When Bitcoin's hash rate increased by 460 million times: a brief history of computational power

Today the hash rate of the Bitcoin network is approximately 460,000,000 TH/s — this is almost unimaginable computing power. But it wasn't always like this. Two decades ago, enthusiasts mined BTC on regular computers. Now, industrial equipment is required for competitive mining. Why has such a leap occurred? Because every year, more and more computing resources were poured into the network, and each new miner pushed the system towards development.

## From Kilohashes to Exahashes: How Hashrate Evolved

In 2011, the network first reached the milestone of 1 TH/s. Two years later, it was already at 1000 TH/s. In just five years, by 2016, the figure soared to a million terahashes per second.

This progression visually demonstrates exponential growth:
- 2011: 1 TH/s
- 2013: 1 000 TH/s
- 2016: 1,000,000 TH/s
- 2017: 10,000,000 TH/s
- 2019: 60 000 000 TH/s
- 2020: 100 000 000 TH/s
- 2023: 400 000 000 TH/s

Such a leap was made possible by the emergence of specialized ASIC chips, which are thousands of times more efficient than graphics cards and personal computers.

## What is hash rate and why track it

Hashrate is simply the speed at which miners process cryptographic tasks. It is measured in hashes per second (H/s). When it comes to millions of operations, megahashes (MH/s), gigahashes (GH/s), and terahashes (TH/s) are used.

Here's how it works: a miner tries to find a hash that meets certain conditions, for example, starts with the required number of zeros (. This requires a huge number of attempts. The equipment performs these calculations using special algorithms until it stumbles upon the correct result. The higher the hash rate of the setup, the more attempts per second, the greater the chance of winning.

## Why a high hash rate means more earnings

The logic here is simple. Every time a miner successfully confirms a block, they receive a reward. Currently, it is 6.25 BTC per block plus fees from users. After the bitcoin halving in 2024, the reward will be cut in half to 3.125 BTC.

A person with a hash rate of 100 TH/s will find a valid block significantly faster than a competitor with a hash rate of 10 TH/s. Therefore, miners are constantly investing in more powerful equipment. This creates healthy competition that simultaneously:
- increases the security of the network )more computing power = higher attack difficulty(
- supports the mining economy in good shape
- stimulates the development of hardware

## The Relationship Between Hash Rate and Blockchain Reliability

The higher the overall hash rate of the network, the more difficult it is to carry out a 51% attack ) when someone controls more than half of the computational power (. The current hash rate of Bitcoin at 460 million TH/s means that an attacker would have to spend astronomical amounts on equipment and electricity.

For Proof of Work protocols, such as Bitcoin, hash rate is the foundation of security. Without a constant influx of computing resources, the network will become vulnerable.

## The essence: hash rate as a mirror of progress

The growth of the hash rate reflects not just technological progress. It is an indicator of miners' trust in the project, a signal of its viability. Investors and traders closely monitor this indicator because it speaks to the health of the ecosystem. The cryptocurrency space continues to gain momentum, and understanding the hash rate is becoming increasingly important not only for professional miners but also for anyone who wants to understand how blockchain truly functions.