An event has occurred in the world of cryptocurrencies that once again proves: there is room in Bitcoin mining not only for giant data centers. A solo miner using a compact Bitaxe device successfully mined block #957,382 in the first cryptocurrency's network via the Public Pool. For his find, he received a reward of 3.1382 BTC, which at the time of mining was equivalent to approximately $200,000.
Luck with a probability of 1 in 18,000 years
This solo miner's equipment operated for about eight hours with an average hashrate of 995.2 GH/s — that's only about 1 TH/s. For comparison, modern industrial ASIC miners produce tens and hundreds of terahashes. With such modest power, the statistical chance of finding a block is approximately once every 18,000 years. Nevertheless, this is already the second documented case of a single Bitaxe finding a solo block via Public Pool.
Bitaxe: a pocket-sized giant
Bitaxe is an open-source ASIC miner based on the Bitmain BM1370 chip, which is also used in industrial Antminer S21 models. Bitaxe Gamma series models deliver from 1 to 1.3 TH/s with a power consumption of only 15-21 W. The cost of such devices ranges from $60 to $150. This makes them accessible to enthusiasts, but does not change the fact that success in solo mining is primarily a matter of immense luck.
The solo mining trend: numbers and facts
Since the beginning of 2026, solo miners have already found 12 blocks. The most recent case before this occurred on June 29, when a Solo CKPool participant received 3.16 BTC. Earlier, on May 31, another miner mined a block on a cluster of 14 Canaan Nano devices with a total hashrate of 157 TH/s via the Braiins Solo service. Over the past 12 months, solo miners have found 24 blocks — a 41% increase compared to the previous year. Total payouts during this period amounted to 75.44 BTC. The average interval between "finds" is 15.2 days, with the longest gap reaching 58 days.
Market context: difficulty drops, miners shift to AI
Against the backdrop of these inspiring stories, it is worth noting the overall state of the industry. On July 12, as a result of the next difficulty adjustment, Bitcoin mining difficulty decreased by 5% — to 127.17 T. In mid-June, the figure fell by 10.09%, but then recovered by 7.15%. This volatility in difficulty reflects the pressure on miner profitability. In response, many large Bitcoin mining companies have accelerated their transition to the field of artificial intelligence, redirecting their capacities to more profitable tasks.
Analyst's opinion: Such cases are not just a statistical anomaly, but a powerful signal for the community. They demonstrate that Bitcoin remains a truly decentralized network, where every participant, even with minimal equipment, can theoretically receive a reward. However, I would caution against illusions: such successes are a lottery, not a strategy. For sustainable income under current conditions, either access to cheap electricity or a transition to adjacent high-tech sectors, such as AI, is necessary.