6 months ago
US-based crypto miners are facing delays successful receiving ASIC mining hardware owed to intensified scrutiny of shipments from China’s Bitcoin, the ascendant supplier of Bitcoin (BTC) mining rigs.
As Bloomberg News reported, manufacture executives said shipments of Bitmain machines person been held up owed to accrued scrutiny by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
The timing aligns with the US Commerce Department’s January blacklisting of Xiamen Sophgo Technologies Ltd., an AI steadfast affiliated with Bitmain, accused of furthering Beijing’s ambitions successful precocious spot production.
The delays besides travel amid escalating commercialized tensions betwixt the US and China. The latest seizures and import clasp correspond a notable escalation from the CBP’s detainment of Antminer S21 and T21 units past year.
Mounting regulatory pressure
Bitmain, which controls astir 90% of the planetary marketplace for specialized Bitcoin mining rigs, has been taxable to US tariffs since 2018.
On Feb. 1, President Donald Trump announced an further 10% levy connected Chinese imports, further complicating the scenery for miners reliant connected Bitmain’s machines.
Nuo Xu, laminitis of the China Digital Mining Association, said:
“US Customs has started randomly inspecting astir each airlifted Bitcoin mining machines since astir 3 months ago.”
He added that officers are scrutinizing machines much intimately and demanding certificates of origin, further delaying shipments.
A root acquainted with the concern disclosed that an Oklahoma-based mining cognition with 2,000 rigs has been importantly delayed owed to stringent customs checks. Luxor Technology COO Ethan Vera said shipments with Bitmain labels are among those targeted by customs.
Taras Kulyk, CEO astatine Synteq Digital, a large mining hardware broker, said:
“Heavier tariffs would fundamentally halt the importation of new-generation hardware into the US, making it wholly cost-prohibitive. There volition beryllium a ton of projects that volition cease operation due to the fact that they wouldn’t beryllium capable to get the hardware.”
Impact connected US mining
The caller tariffs person already had a measurable interaction connected the US mining manufacture contempt its singular maturation successful the past six months.
According to CBP information compiled by TheMinerMag, the gross value of imported Bitcoin mining rigs and accessories plummeted astir 65% year-over-year successful January 2025. The inability to unafraid caller instrumentality astatine competitory prices could undermine the semipermanent viability of US mining firms.
New York-based Bit Digital precocious experienced a two-week hold connected a shipment of 700 mining machines, a comparatively insignificant setback, according to CEO Sam Tabar. However, others are facing steeper challenges.
The regulatory unit besides threatens Bitmain’s domination, arsenic contention from China-based MicroBT and California’s Auradine is mounting.
Vera warned:
“I would expect immoderate institution buying Bitmain’s machines is going to beryllium astatine hazard close now, including the nationalist ones.”
In an effort to woody with the existent situation, Bitmain precocious launched a home accumulation enactment successful the US to antagonistic the import-related challenges for its machines. The rollout of the Antminer S21 Pro from the caller US installation is expected to supply miners with a much-needed boost successful ratio and trim operational uncertainty.
The station US customs reportedly stalling Bitcoin miner shipments amid crackdown appeared archetypal connected CryptoSlate.
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