Three Countries Dominated Bitcoin Mining in Q3 2026
The United States, Russia, and China controlled 66% of network hash power amid a shift toward high-performance computing.
Updated on Oct. 6, 2026 in Data Centers
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Data released on October 5 revealed that the United States, Russia, and China accounted for 65.4% of the global Bitcoin network hashrate in Q3 2026. The shift reflects a growing pivot by infrastructure providers toward artificial intelligence and high-density colocation services.
Why it matters
The decline in mining dominance in some regions signals a strategic reallocation of energy assets toward artificial intelligence and high-performance computing workloads. This transition suggests a shift in how infrastructure providers value specialized compute capacity over traditional proof-of-work mining.
The global network hashrate reached an estimated 941 EH/s, with the United States contributing 335 EH/s and Russia 170 EH/s. China maintains an estimated 110 EH/s, calculated using a 30-day simple moving average of computing work.
The players
Core Scientific
A provider of data center infrastructure transitioning from cryptocurrency mining to high-density colocation.
Keel Infrastructure
A former mining operator that decommissioned all of its United States Bitcoin mining operations.
Hashrate Index
An analytical platform that monitors global mining activity via pool data and hardware market trends.
The details
Hashrate indices determine these figures by weighting pool data, ASIC (Application-Specific Integrated Circuit — a processor designed for a single task) trading flows, and firmware adoption trends. As some firms decommission legacy mining sites, players like Core Scientific are repurposing their facilities to house high-density colocation services. This structural pivot allows operators to leverage existing electrical infrastructure for more versatile compute-intensive roles.
Timeline
July 16: Previous comparative edition published.
July 28: Core Scientific detailed facility repurposing.
August 10: Keel Infrastructure decommissioned US operations.
October 5: Hashrate Index released the Q3 2026 country estimates.
The Tech Race
The report highlights a broader redirection of energy and physical capacity toward AI-ready infrastructure. This transition follows the established industry trend of repurposing mining sites to meet the massive energy requirements of modern high-performance computing clusters.
Operators currently holding decommissioned hardware face a choice between liquidation and facility repurposing for high-density tasks. For the industry, this indicates that data center economics now increasingly favor scalable high-performance compute over fixed cryptocurrency mining protocols.
The takeaway
The pivot from mining to colocation reflects the intense demand for high-performance data infrastructure. Watch the next quarterly Hashrate Index update for further changes in regional hashrate concentration.
Further reading
For more on evolving infrastructure requirements, read our Data Centers section.
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Does Bitcoin mining concentration in three countries make the network less trustworthy for the future?
