US Customs Detain Antminer Shipments at Ports

Hundreds of Bitmain’s Antminer S21 and T21 ASIC miners have been stored in American ports for over a month, awaiting approval from the CBP. This was reported by Blockspace, citing unnamed industry sources.

SCOOP from @theMiningPod

Officials are halting Bitmain units at U.S. ports, industry firms report

The Customs and Border Protection Agency (CBP) is holding certain imports of @BITMAINtech Antminer ASICs at ports of entry to the United States, Blockspace has learned, from…

— Blockspace Media ? (@blockspacepod) November 25, 2024

According to sources, customs officials nationwide are detaining certain shipments at the request of the FCC. Some Bitmain miners have been in port warehouses for two months, with customers required to pay additional storage fees.

Blockspace reports that the customs agency has not provided further details on the reasons or duration of the delays, referring inquiries to the FCC. A Commission representative told the publication they were unaware of such a request.

One affected company has reportedly hired lawyers to obtain more information from government agencies.

Industry representatives noted that import issues in the U.S. have only affected Bitmain. They stated that other mining equipment manufacturers have not been impacted.

Such delays are rare in the American mining industry. Blockspace sources suggest it may be related to a chip on the control board in some Antminer models.

The chip in question is the CV1835 from Chinese company Sophgo. U.S. authorities suspect the supplier of violating sanctions after the chip was found in a device from the restricted company Huawei.

In October, Bitmain expanded its Antminer S21 lineup with two new devices.