Bitcoin Mining Pools Adopt Open Standard for Block Construction

Major Bitcoin mining pools representing 75% of the network’s total hashrate have moved to adopt an open standard for block construction. This initiative aims to standardize how blocks are assembled across the network, marking a significant shift in how mining operations interact with the underlying protocol.

Key takeaways

• Mining pools controlling 75% of the network hashrate have backed an open standard for block construction.
• Solo mining remains a rare but possible endeavor, with recent participants securing full block rewards despite low odds [2].
• Mining firms like BitFuFu are shifting strategies, moving away from self-mining toward cloud-based models to improve capital efficiency [1].
• The Bitcoin network continues to see high hashrate participation, with total network power reaching approximately 1.02 zettahashes per second [2].

Shifts in Mining Strategy and Infrastructure

The landscape of Bitcoin mining is currently defined by a mix of large-scale institutional operations and individual participants. While major pools are aligning on technical standards for block construction, companies like BitFuFu are restructuring their business models. BitFuFu reported a 60% decline in self-mining revenue in 2025, opting instead to prioritize cloud mining, which accounted for 74% of its total revenue that year [1]. The company plans to continue expanding its hashrate and power capacity throughout 2026 while focusing on acquiring new mining infrastructure [1].

Simultaneously, the network continues to support solo miners who operate independently of large-scale pools. Recent data shows that solo miners using platforms like CKpool have successfully validated blocks despite facing odds as steep as 1 in 100,000 [2]. These participants contribute a negligible fraction of the total network hashrate—sometimes as low as 0.0000069%—yet they retain the ability to claim the full block reward if they successfully solve a block [2]. This highlights the probabilistic nature of the network, where even small-scale participants can secure rewards without maintaining the massive infrastructure used by firms like MARA Holdings or Bitdeer [2].

Why it matters

The adoption of an open standard for block construction by pools representing 75% of the hashrate represents a collective effort toward greater transparency in how transactions are selected and ordered within the Bitcoin blockchain. As mining firms navigate changing market conditions—such as BitFuFu’s transition toward cloud mining and increased equipment sales—the underlying technical standards ensure that the network remains decentralized and accessible [1]. While institutional players dominate the majority of the hashrate, the continued success of solo miners serves as a reminder of the network's design, which allows any participant with computational power to compete for rewards regardless of their size [2].