Customs and Border Protection Agency (CBP) is preventing the dispatch of specific Bitmain Antminer application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) at US ports of entry.
According to a report, certain miners in the United States have been anticipating the arrival of their Chinese mining apparatus for more than two months.
Holding Deliveries
Blockspace reported on November 25 that seven unnamed Bitcoin mining companies in the United States had reported shipment issues. The ASICs are currently being held at multiple ports of entry; some have been detained for over two months.
The delivery halt applies to the most recent models of Bitmain Antminer S21 and T21 series ASICs. According to the mining companies impacted by the suspension, the CBP, an enforcement branch of the Department of Homeland Security, was acting on a request from the US Federal Communications Commission Agency.
One company reported that the CBP imposed a holding fee on 200 ASICs it was awaiting. It stated that the bill had surpassed $200,000 in value.
According to another organization, personnel from the CBP Advanced Targeting Unit (ATU) are present at specific ports of entry concerning the detention. On behalf of the agency, the ATU identifies high-risk travelers, cargo, and conveyances.
An array of sanctions
A company advised Blockspace that the delivery halt was associated with Sophgo, a chip designer related to Bitmain. Sophgo is under investigation by the US Department of Commerce following the discovery of chips similar to those it ordered in Taiwan in a Huawei AI processor in October. Since 2019, Huawei has been subject to sanctions imposed by the United States.
According to the publication, the CBP does not currently hold ASICs from other Chinese manufacturers.
In January of this year, Bitmain began distributing the Antminer T21. China provides 98% of the processors utilized in cryptocurrency mining.
Bitmain, headquartered in China, has been accused of dumping and price cutting to undermine US semiconductor producers. To circumvent tariffs, the company has established offices in other countries.
Since the Chinese government banned crypto mining in China in 2021, Chinese-owned companies have also been mining Bitcoin (BTC) in the United States.