The Bitcoin network's hashrate surged to a record 1,082 exahashes per second (EH/s) in October, as reported by JPMorgan. This increase highlights intensified competition and industrial-scale efforts in blockchain security. Concurrently, mining difficulty rose by 3% from September, marking an 80% increase since pre-halving levels in April 2024, which has pressured miner profits. Despite a 3% reduction in daily block rewards and a 4% decline in gross profit, U.S.-listed mining companies experienced a 25% increase in their combined market valuation, reaching $70 billion. This growth is attributed to rising interest in high-performance computing and artificial intelligence applications.