Fidelity refutes the argument that halving weakens Bitcoin's security: miners' average daily income has increased from $26,300 to $40,200,000

Fidelity Digital Assets recently released a research report that positively addresses concerns about the long-term impact of Bitcoin halving on network security. The report's author, Fidelity research analyst Daniel Gray, pointed out that Bitcoin network security relies not only on block rewards but also on transaction fees, market incentives, and other economic forces that continuously motivate miners to maintain network security, making the cost of sustained attacks prohibitively high.

On the data front, Gray noted that despite the ongoing reduction in block subsidies, the rise in Bitcoin prices has significantly offset this impact. The average daily income of miners has increased from about $26,300 during the first halving cycle to over $40,200 today. He wrote, "Despite the decrease in issuance, miner incentives and the resulting network security have historically strengthened alongside the rise in Bitcoin prices."

Since the fourth halving in April 2024, the block subsidy for miners has decreased from 6.25 to 3.125 Bitcoins per block. However, the optimistic conclusions of the report starkly contrast with the current realities faced by publicly traded mining companies. Several industry analysts describe the current environment as one of the most challenging for mining on record, due to the simultaneous decline in block rewards, rising operational costs, and increased competition.

In response, several mining companies have begun to transition to the AI and high-performance computing sectors, leveraging existing power infrastructure to meet AI computing demands. VanEck estimates that publicly listed mining companies may need to raise up to $50 billion in additional funds to fully transition to AI infrastructure, but the requirements for AI data centers regarding facility standards, cooling, power redundancy, and networking are far higher than those of traditional Bitcoin mining operations, making the transition challenges significant.