Riot, CleanSpark Boost Bitcoin Production in August

     

Miners achieve double-digit BTC output growth despite rising network difficulty

Bitcoin mining firms Riot Platforms and CleanSpark reported strong production gains in August, expanding both output and operational hashrates compared to last year.

Riot mined 477 BTC in August, a 48% increase from 322 BTC in the same month of 2024. The company sold 450 BTC for $51.8 million in net proceeds, bringing its total Bitcoin holdings to 19,309 BTC – up 92.7% year-over-year.

CleanSpark mined 657 BTC in August, up 37.5% from 478 BTC a year earlier. The company sold 533.5 BTC for $60.7 million during the month and now holds 12,827 BTC, marking a 69.7% annual increase.

CleanSpark reiterated that it began selling BTC in April to ensure financial self-sufficiency, while Riot continues to strengthen its treasury through consistent accumulation. Both miners managed to expand output despite challenging market conditions.

Mining difficulty surges 44.9% year-over-year

Bitcoin mining difficulty rose 44.9% over the past 12 months, climbing to 129.7 trillion in August 2025 from 89.5 trillion a year earlier, according to CoinWarz data.

The sharp increase has pressured miners to scale operations, upgrade rigs, and invest in new infrastructure. Riot’s average operational hashrate hit 31.4 EH/s in August, up 116.6% from 14.5 EH/s a year earlier. CleanSpark’s rose 103.3% year-over-year, reaching 43.3 EH/s from 21.3 EH/s.

While Riot and CleanSpark continue to double down on Bitcoin mining, other industry players are diversifying. Hut 8 is building four new US data centers for high-performance computing, including artificial intelligence, while Hive Digital and Iren are also pivoting parts of their business toward AI and alternative revenue streams.