30s Summary

The US Customs and Border Protection Agency (CBP) has been holding back shipments of Bitmain Antminer machines, causing extensive delays. Seven US Bitcoin mining companies have reported difficulties with their deliveries. The hold-ups are allegedly at the request of the US Federal Communications Commission Agency. Some companies are speculating that the delays are linked to an investigation of Sophgo, Bitmain’s chip designer. Interestingly, ASICs from other Chinese manufacturers appear unaffected.

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Hey, if you’re in the US and have been wondering why your brand new Bitmain Antminer has been taking forever to arrive, here’s why! The United States Customs and Border Protection Agency (otherwise known as CBP) has been delaying the shipments of these advanced mining machines at US ports. Some folks have already been waiting for their deliveries from China to arrive for two months!

Hard to believe, right? Well, seven US Bitcoin mining companies have reported issues with their shipments and are feeling the frustration. These new Bitmain Antminer S21 and T21 models have been held at a number of entry points for as long as two months, and from the sounds of it, the CBP isn’t making life easy for them. According to the companies suffering from this freeze, the CBP, who are the guys responsible for enforcing rules and regulations at the borders, are halting these deliveries at the request of another government agency, the US Federal Communications Commission Agency.

One of these companies has been charged a hefty holding fee for their pending delivery of 200 ASICs, which, get this, has already exceeded a whopping $200,000! There’s also talk of CBP’s Advanced Targeting Unit personnel playing a role in implementing these holds. They’re the ones who flag high-risk travelers, cargo, and transportation for the agency.

But the plot thickens as one company seems to suggest that this shipping freeze could be linked to something bigger. They reckon it’s due to the drama circling around Sophgo, Bitmain’s chip designer. Sophgo got caught in a US Department of Commerce probe last month after chips similar to those ordered in Taiwan were discovered in a Huawei AI processor. Worth mentioning, Huawei has been on the US sanctions list since 2019.

Interestingly, it seems the CBP isn’t holding up other ASICs from different Chinese manufacturers. And to add some context, the Bitmain Antminer T21 began shipping this January. The fact that China produces an immense 98% of all chips used in crypto mining makes this delay a huge deal. Plus, in a twist, Bitmain, a China-based company, set up offices globally to avoid these types of tariffs and has been accused in the past of reducing prices to undermine US chip producers.

Even with these hurdles, Chinese-owned companies still mine Bitcoin in the States since the Chinese government come down hard on crypto mining within its borders last year. Basically, there’s a big game of cat and mouse going on here with plenty of miners caught in the middle.