Bittensor (TAO) has become one of the most talked about projects in the crypto-AI crossover. And the first major tokenomics event is just around the corner. TAO halved.
For many crypto veterans, halving events are well known. These have historically marked tipping points in price cycles, miner behavior, and long-term supply dynamics. And in the case of Bittensall, the halving could herald a new era for the network, its participants, and the economics behind AI-driven consensus.
But how exactly does TAO halving work? What triggers it? And what does that mean for miners, validators, subnet developers, or anyone looking at the TAO chart?
Let's break it down step by step.
Main highlights:
- Bitensor's halving is supply based. TAO halving occurs when 10.5 million tokens are mined, rather than a fixed date or block number.
- Reduce emissions by 50%. Once the halving begins, daily token issuance will immediately decrease from 7,200 TAO to 3,600 TAO.
- The next halving is scheduled for December 2025. Multiple platforms predict that the event will take place between December 10th and 13th, depending on network activity.
- Its effects can move the market. Reduced supply and sustained demand may impact TAO prices, but timing and market reaction remain uncertain.
What is Bitensol halving?
TAO halving is a built-in protocol event that slows down the creation of new TAO tokens. This is inspired by Bitcoin halving and other deflationary assets. However, it is implemented in a way that fits Bittensor's architecture and mission.
Bittensor's halving mechanism does not rely on time-based triggers or block height; Total supply milestone. Specifically, the half-life is triggered When 50% of the total TAO supply is released into circulation.
Here's what this actually means:
- Total supply: Bittensor has a limit of 21 million TAO. Beyond that ceiling, there is no inflation or minting.
- Half-life threshold: The first halving will occur when 10.5 million TAO are mined.
- compensation adjustment: Once the threshold is reached, the block reward (currently set to 1 TAO) will be reduced by 50%.
That reward is distributed across Bittensor's contributors, including miners who validate the network, validators who ensure consensus, and subnet operators who train models and build applications.
Halving immediately cuts off the flow of new TAO entering the circulation, impacting all of these roles.
So why is this important?
Halving reduces selling pressure from new supply
TAO's daily issuance is currently around 7,200 tokens per day, but this won't last forever. Once half-life is reached, the network will start producing just 3,600 TAOs each day. This severe shift in supply unleashes two important dynamics.
- scarcity increases: The number of TAOs on the market suddenly decreased. There is historical precedent that if demand is stable or rising, prices will rise (though not guaranteed).
- Shift in mining incentives: Participants who earn a TAO must either double their performance or compete harder for fewer rewards, especially as the utility of the TAO expands across the subnet economy.
This design is intentional. Similar to Bitcoin, the halving of Bittensor is financial restrictions. that:
- Tighten issuance over time
- Reward early contributors
- Control inflation without government votes or central intervention
All of this is one of the reasons why Bittensor (TAO) could be one of the best cryptocurrencies to buy in November 2025.
How TAO is halved
The Bittensor halving mechanism is very simple, but also powerful.
TAO will be issued through a continuous block reward of 1 TAO every 12 seconds, resulting in approximately 7,200 new TAO tokens being created every day. This emission is divided evenly into three groups that support the network.
- minerprocesses transactions and provides computing power
- validatormaintain consensus and verify subnet activity.
- subnet ownera person who registers and operates a machine learning subnet
When the first halving is triggered (after 10.5 million TAO has been mined), that 1 TAO block reward will automatically drop to 0.5 TAO.
In other words, New supply is immediately cut in half No community votes or manual intervention required.
Supply-driven halving and block-driven halving
Unlike Bitcoin, which undergoes a halving every 210,000 blocks, Bittensor takes a more dynamic approach. The halving schedule is supply basenot time-based. This means that the halving will occur exactly when a certain amount of TAO is in circulation, regardless of how long it takes.
This structure makes sense for networks designed around contributing to machine learning and decentralized resource exchange. Prioritize fair publication over fixed schedules. This allows TAO to evolve at the pace of actual adoption rather than an arbitrary countdown.
What happens after the halving?
Halving would reduce emissions to approximately 3,600 TAO per day. All other tokenomics remain the same.
- The upper limit of 21 million remains fixed.
- Mining will continue as usual, but with fewer rewards
- Subnet rewards and validator payouts will shrink proportionately
Changes are immediate and permanent. There are no rollbacks or cooldowns. This is the first of several halving events that will eventually lead to emissions tapering towards zero as TAO reaches full supply.
The result is tighter token availability, which has historically influenced market behavior in deflationary protocols. But whether a halving of TAO results in a supply shock or a collapse in prices depends on more than just mathematics. So a big question arises.
When is the next TAO half-life?
Now that we've explained how TAO halving works, let's move on to the question everyone is asking. When does that actually happen?
Because the half-life of Bittensol is supply drivenit's not date-based, so there's no hard-coded timestamp. a half-life is programmed to occur When the total mining amount reaches 10.5 million TAOthe number increases with each block.
Therefore, the exact halving date for TAO depends on current network emissions and how much TAO is recycled into the system.
That being said, several reliable analytics platforms are tracking the Bittensor halving countdown in real-time, and most of them are: Mid-December 2025 estimate.
Current halving forecast
Here's what the data currently shows:
- Taostats (official community explorer): predict that half-life will occur December 13, 2025based on current emission rates and on-chain activity.
- coin market cal: List the expected halves between. December 10 and 12, 2025depending on how active the miner remains.
All of these trackers capture live data on-chain to estimate half-life. Slight changes in block production rates and TAO recycling may shift the date slightly, but all indicators suggest December 2025 It's a realistic goal.
How to track the countdown
If you are actively staking, building, or investing in TAO, you can monitor the halving timeline on the Taostats Tokenomics page. Here you can see the current total supply, daily emission rate, and estimated halving date.
Both tools are updated regularly to reflect real-time emissions. If you follow the Bittensor ecosystem closely, you may want to bookmark one or both.
What happens after TAO halving?
Once the halving is triggered and Bittensor crosses the 10.5 million TAO threshold, the network will enter a new phase. Block reward will be reduced from 1 TAO to 0.5 TAO.
The most direct impact is on the protocol's inflation rate. Currently, 7,200 TAOs are in circulation every day, and supply is steadily expanding. After the halving, that number will drop to 3,600 TAOs per day, effectively slowing down the rate at which new tokens are introduced to the market.
This has several ripple effects throughout the network.
- Reduced compensation for contributors: Miners, validators, and subnet owners will see their daily earnings reduced by 50%. This can increase competition for block generation and force inefficient participants out of the network.
- Tight supply of TAO in the open market: Due to less new token creation, TAO liquidity may decrease on centralized and decentralized exchanges, especially if demand increases.
- Huge pressure on protocol efficiency: Participants may need to optimize their setup, upgrade their infrastructure, or consolidate their operations to maintain profitability.
However, halving does not affect any other mechanics of the protocol. Block times will remain the same, the subnet incentive system will continue as designed, and the 21 million cap will remain unchanged.
So, network stays upthere will only be fewer rewards in circulation.
Importantly, Bittensor's design also allows recycled TAOs (e.g. transaction fees, burned tokens, reduced balances) to be put back into circulation. However, this will have minimal impact on emissions and will not delay or reset the halving schedule.
The halving is permanent and automatic. This marks a new stage in the TAO lifecycle, where scarcity plays a bigger role than pure issuance.
Will TAO halving affect prices?
This is the section where speculation and economics meet. Nothing can be guaranteed here. No one knows what will happen after the halving, but it's worth looking at how similar events have played out in other cryptocurrency ecosystems.
Historically, halvings have had a significant psychological and economic impact on token prices. In the case of Bitcoin, there has been a significant bull market after each halving. Not immediately, but within a few months, or at most a year, of supply cuts. This is because supply shocks tend to cause upward pressure when demand is stable or increasing.
For TAO, the setup is similar.
- Fixed supply while reducing emissions
- Increasing demand from miners, validators, and subnet operators
- Expanding ecosystem of apps and models running on top of the protocol
If these trends continue after the halving and network penetration accelerates, the halving of TAO could trigger a new rise. Decreasing daily selling pressure from miners and decreasing token dilution are structurally bullish signals.
That being said, markets are never purely rational. Macroeconomic conditions, exchange listings, AI sector hype cycles, and investor sentiment all play a role. Traders anticipating this event may have already priced in the halving. As is often the case with protocol-level changes, the impact can be delayed.
What is clear is: TAO's first half-life marks a milestone. It curbs inflation, increases scarcity, and introduces new dynamics into an already rapidly evolving ecosystem.
As a result, market prices may rise or become temporarily stagnant. But nevertheless, the fundamentals of the network will be more sound.
conclusion
The upcoming TAO half-life is a defining moment in the evolution of Bittensor. All participants will feel the impact of this transition, from miners and validators to developers and investors.
Of course, like any halving, this event brings uncertainty and opportunity. That could increase price momentum, increase demand for TAO, and foster long-term growth for the protocol as a whole. Alternatively, it could represent a quieter structural change that prepares it for deeper dissemination over time.
Either way, the countdown has begun. And in a network where AI meets cryptocurrency incentives, that countdown could be more important than anyone realizes. There’s a reason Bittensor is near the top of our list of best AI cryptocurrencies.
