November 28, 2024
By Our Correspondent
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has suspended the importation of Bitcoin mining equipment from the Chinese manufacturer Bitmain, significantly affecting the availability of the company’s leading Antminer ASIC models. This decision has created uncertainty within the cryptocurrency mining sector, as numerous firms are experiencing delays in the arrival of their orders.
Reports suggest that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) instructed CBP to prevent the import of Bitmain’s Antminer S21 and T21 series. Although an official explanation has not been disclosed, the restriction appears to be confined to these particular models, with other mining devices from manufacturers such as MicroBT and Canaan remaining unaffected. Delays have reportedly persisted for over two months, leading to considerable frustration among mining enterprises.
One company noted that its shipment, which has been held for more than 30 days, has shown no indication of progress. “CBP holds extending beyond 30 days with no clear requests from the Importer of Record (IOR) are beyond usual service standards and extremely rare.”
Speculation regarding the reasons for the shipment blockage has emerged, with a prominent theory suggesting that the semiconductor chips utilized in Bitmain’s latest products may be implicated.
These chips, manufactured by the Chinese firm Sophgo, are reportedly associated with sanctions violations, as Sophgo is under scrutiny for supplying chips to Huawei, a technology company already blacklisted by the U.S. government.
Bitmain’s Antminer T21 and certain models from the S19 series, including the S19k Pro and S19 XP, depend on chips produced by Sophgo, further fueling speculation that these components may be the cause of the delays. Despite the circulating rumors, an FCC representative stated that they were unaware of any directives to block Bitmain’s hardware.
The timing of this shipment suspension aligns with escalating tensions between the U.S. and China, particularly in light of the upcoming presidency of Donald Trump. Known for his stringent approach towards China, Trump has pledged to implement stricter tariffs and policies that could exacerbate the trade and technological competition between the two nations.
