United States Bitcoin miners are experiencing delays in receiving new mining equipment as U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) probes shipments from Chinese mining hardware firm Bitmain. The concern grows as such disruptions affect the competitiveness and profitability of domestic mining firms, many of which rely heavily on Bitmain’s rigs to operate.
U.S. Regulators Inspect Mining Rigs
The inspections come amid trade tensions between the U.S and China alongside the blacklisting of Bitmain’s artificial intelligence affiliate by the Commerce Department in January. The move was part of the white house efforts to counter China’s push for dominance in advanced chip production, which officials claim is closely tied to Beijing’s strategic interests.
According to a Bloomberg report, at least six industry executives have reported shipment delays of Bitmain mining rigs due to increased scrutiny at U.S. customs. Since September, CBP has randomly inspected shipments, with reports of checks intensifying in the past month. The delays have led to a backlog of mining machines, affecting players in the mining industry.
New York-based mining firm Bit Digital reported a delay in the delivery of 700 Bitcoin mining machines. Reports also disclosed that a mining facility in Oklahoma has 2,000 rigs stuck in customs due to stringent certificate of origin checks. Luxor Technology’s COO, Ethan Vera, confirmed that shipments labeled “Bitmain miners” are mainly targeted by customs officials.
How Bitcoin Miners are Impacted
The delays become challenging for U.S. mining firms like MARA Holdings and CleanSpark, which depend on hardware deliveries to maintain operations. Minor equipment delays can impact profitability as competition for Bitcoin rewards grows.
For some, the risk of prolonged customs delays and rising tariffs is forcing them to reconsider mining equipment suppliers. Alternative sources, such as U.S.-made mining rigs or machines from non-Chinese manufacturers, are being explored, but these options are limited and often expensive.
Meanwhile, the U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports are also impacting miners. Bitmain, which controls over 75% of the global market for Bitcoin mining rigs, has been subject to tariffs since 2018 under President Donald Trump’s former tenure trade policies. On February 1, Trump announced an additional 10% tariff on Chinese imports, impacting the crypto mining sector.
