Solo Bitcoin miners are making headlines by pulling off rare wins—successfully claiming full block rewards—even as the Bitcoin network’s hashrate sits near record highs.
Currently, the network hashrate is around 902 exahashes per second (EH/s), just below its all-time peak, according to Blockchain.com. This level of computational power points to fierce competition and heightened mining difficulty, making it increasingly unlikely for solo miners to find a block.
Yet, against all odds, a solo miner last week managed to do just that—mining block 907,283 through the Solo CK pool. The reward? A full 3.125 BTC (valued at over $372,000 at the time), plus an extra $3,436 in transaction fees.
This wasn’t a one-off fluke. Earlier in July, another solo miner operating with just 2.3 petahashes of computing power also secured a full block reward. Similar solo victories have occurred in June, March, and February, showing a surprising trend.
“These solo wins aren’t just about luck anymore,” said Samuel Li, CTO of ASICKey, in an interview. “They’re the result of powerful, efficient hardware. Today’s miners are built to deliver serious hashrate without the massive energy demands of older rigs.”
Efficiency in focus
For solo miners, success hinges on efficiency, according to Samuel Li, Chief Technology Officer at ASICKey. “Take our KEYMINER A1, for example—it consumes just 650 watts but delivers 1,100 terahashes per second (TH/s) on Bitcoin. That translates to roughly $1,200 in monthly profits,” Li said. “And for those branching into altcoins like Dash, it can generate up to $3,800 per month.”
The A1 is part of ASICKey’s mining hardware lineup launched last November, which also includes the KEYMINER X and KEYMINER PRO. The KEYMINER X offers 2,300 TH/s at 1,300 watts, while the PRO pushes up to 5,800 TH/s at 2,800 watts. Under current market conditions, the PRO can yield as much as $6,300 monthly, according to company estimates.
Despite these advances in ASIC efficiency, Li cautioned that the basic odds for solo miners remain daunting. “Solo mining is still largely a lottery,” he explained. “Unless you’re operating tens of petahashes per second (PH/s), your chances of winning a block in a reasonable time frame are extremely slim.”
To put it in perspective, Li noted that with the current Bitcoin network hashrate, a miner running 1 PH/s—a thousand times 1 TH/s—has roughly a 1 in 650,000 chance of solving a block every 10 minutes.
Why are miners going solo?
According to Samuel Li, CTO of ASICKey, there’s been a “modest resurgence” of interest in solo Bitcoin mining—but not necessarily for steady income. “Some miners are drawn to it for the chance at a life-changing payout,” Li explained. “Even one block reward—currently 6.25 BTC plus fees—can be transformative if you win.”
While the financial upside is a major motivator, Li pointed out that some miners are also driven by ideology. “They value decentralization and the ability to mine independently, without relying on centralized pools,” he said.
Still, the mining landscape remains dominated by large pools. Data from Hashrate Index shows that Foundry USA, based in the U.S., currently leads with 29.3% of the total Bitcoin network hashrate. AntPool follows at 16.2%, while ViaBTC and F2Pool control 12.0% and 11.6%, respectively.
If a single mining pool—or a small group of pools working in coordination—were to control over 50% of Bitcoin’s total hashrate, they could theoretically carry out a 51% attack. Such an attack would enable double-spending of coins, a rare but serious threat that could severely damage trust in the Bitcoin network.
“Ultimately, the rise of more solo miners—particularly those using clean energy and efficient hardware—could contribute to a healthier and more decentralized network,” said Li. “That aligns with Bitcoin’s original vision: a permissionless system where anyone can participate independently.”
