US Customs halts Bitmain ASIC imports amid speculation over sanctions: report

U.S. Customs and Border Protection, at the request of the Federal Communications Commission, has been holding imports of Bitmain Antminer S21 and T21 series ASICs at ports across the country for up to two months, according to a report from Blockspace .

Seven U.S.-based mining companies have not been provided a clear reason for the delays or a timeline for resolution, the report said. One source told Blockspace that U.S. Customs and Border Protection is charging daily holding fees, which have exceeded $200,000 for some firms. The move does not appear to target other manufacturers like MicroBT or Canaan.

Bitmain is the largest Bitcoin ASIC designer and mining hardware manufacturer.

Blockspace said industry speculation suggests the holdups may be linked to scrutiny over chips supplied by Xiamen Sophgo, a company under investigation for potential U.S. sanctions violations. Sophgo chips, like the CV1835, are used in certain Antminer models, including the S19 series. Sophgo was founded in 2019 by Micree Zhan, also the co-founder and CEO of Bitmain.

Taiwan Semiconductor stopped supplying chips to Sophgo when the U.S. Commerce Department began investigating whether TSMC had provided chips to Huawei, The Information reported in October. China-based Huawei has been under U.S. sanctions since 2020 due to national security concerns.

While no direct evidence links the import halts to these investigations, Blockspace sources believe the FCC and CBP may be inspecting shipments for restricted components. The Block reached out to CBP for comment.

The situation highlights growing tensions at the intersection of U.S. trade policies and tech regulations. China-based companies like Bitmain have dominated the Bitcoin mining hardware market, but President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to make the U.S. a bitcoin mining "powerhouse."

"It will be the policy of my administration...to keep 100% of all the bitcoin the U.S. government currently holds or acquires into the future," Trump said in July . "This will serve in effect as the core of the strategic national bitcoin stockpile...It's been taken away from you."

Last week, Trump tapped pro-crypto Cantor Fitzgerald CEO Howard Lutnick to lead the Commerce Department.