Btc.x CEO Christian Anders believes that despite the Markets in Crypto-Assets (MiCA) regulations being signed into law, the European Union may need to do more lobbying of different European regulators and governments. In an interview with Cointelegraph, Anders noted that for the MiCA framework to be accepted in most European countries like Sweden, pushing might be required.

Scientists from the University of Kent's School of Computing conducted a study comparing energy consumption rates for current ASIC-based miners to proposed quantum-based solutions.

Alps Blockchain has expanded its partnership with Bitmain to increase its Bitcoin mining operations and expand its international presence. The Italian company has purchased additional Antminer S19 XP units worth $16 million, in addition to previous orders.

Bitfarms Ltd. (NASDAQ: BITF//TSX: BITF), a global vertically integrated Bitcoin mining company, has purchased 550 PH/s of new high efficiency BTC miners for $7.7 million, using a combination of cash and vendor credits. A total of 4,660 miners were purchased for $13.94/TH with a blended energy efficiency of 28 W/TH. These miners will be used for expansion and fleet optimization, and are expected to push Bitfarms' corporate hashrate beyond their September 30, 2023, target of 6 EH/s.

Volcano Energy has secured $1 billion in funding to build a 241 MW bitcoin mining operation in El Salvador's Metapán region. The mining site will be powered by 169 MW of solar and 72 MW of wind energy, producing over 1.3 exahash/second (EH/s) of computing power.

Despite the 44% decline in Bitcoin mining profitability over the past year, some mining companies are continuing to expand their operations.

Bitfarms, a publicly traded Bitcoin mining company, has reported that it mined 459 BTC in May using its fleet of approximately 69,000 mining rigs. This represents a significant increase from April, when the company mined 373 BTC. Bitfarms also reported that its hash rate increased by 10% in May, reaching a new high of 4.7 EH/s.

CleanSpark has continued its trend of purchasing bitcoin mining rigs during the market downturn, acquiring 12,500 machines for $40.5 million. The new rigs will add 1.76 exahash/second of computing power to CleanSpark's operations, bringing them closer to their goal of 16 EH/s by the end of 2023. The first shipment of 6,000 machines will arrive in June, with the remainder arriving in August. CleanSpark has been acquiring assets from struggling miners during the bear market, with previous purchases including 45,000 Antminer S19 XPs in April and 20,000 rigs at a discount in February.

Bitcoin's mining difficulty level hit an all-time high on Thursday, rising 3.4% as the network's hashrate also reached a record high. The difficulty level, which changes every two weeks, measures how hard miners have to work to verify transactions on a block.

A bill in Texas that aimed to limit bitcoin miners' involvement in cost-saving grid programs has been stopped in its tracks after failing to pass a committee in the state House of Representatives. The bill, which had previously passed unanimously through the state Senate, would have restricted bitcoin miners' participation in demand response programs to 10% and removed tax abatements for the industry. Dennis Porter, a lobbyist involved in the bill's process, tweeted that the news was a win for the bitcoin community and energy innovation in the US, and highlighted the campaign against the bill by industry groups. Texas is a major hub for bitcoin mining due to favorable regulation and cheap energy.