Bitmain Rivals Spared
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agency (CBP) has reportedly been blocking imports of Bitmain made Antminer ASICs. The border agency, which has not provided reasons for the blockade, is believed to be acting on behalf of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
According to a Blockspace report, the CBP appears to be targeting ASICs produced by the Chinese firm Bitmain Technologies. The report adds that seven unnamed U.S.-based bitcoin mining companies confirmed that the CBP is targeting the Chinese firm’s Antminer S21 and T21 series. Rival firms Microbt and Canaan’s ASICs are not subject to the FCC’s freeze order, the report added.
While the U.S. border agency has not disclosed the duration of the ASIC holds, an anonymous source in the report said some shipments of the bitcoin mining equipment have been held for two months.
“CBP holds extending beyond 30 days with no clear requests of the Importer of Record (IOR) are beyond usual service standards and extremely rare,” the source said.
The source added that personnel from the agency’s Advanced Targeting Unit have been active at U.S. ports where the Antminer shipment holdups have been reported. As a result, companies importing these rigs have been advised to avoid U.S. West Coast ports.
There is speculation that U.S. authorities have halted shipments of the bitcoin mining equipment due to concerns over computer chips sourced from Sophgo. The chipmaker is accused of supplying AI chips to Huawei in violation of U.S. sanctions. Although Sophgo has denied the allegations, sources quoted in the report speculate that the blockade of shipments could be related to the alleged sanction-busting.
Meanwhile, the report revealed that the CBP is holding over 200 units and has levied storage fees exceeding $200,000.
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