Bitcoin mining hardware firm Bitmain said it has expanded its production line to the United States to improve supply chain efficiency as trade tensions continue to escalate between China and the US.
“This strategic move aims to provide faster response times and more efficient services to the North American customers,” China-based Bitmain said in a Dec. 9 X post.
Bitmain is a crypto mining equipment manufacturer known for designing application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) chips, with reports estimating it holds as much as a 90% market share of Bitcoin miners.
Bitmain said the first batch of Antminer S21 Pro miners will be rolled out later this month, providing a “significant boost” to its industry partners.
Source: Bitmain
Trade restrictions between the US and China have intensified in recent weeks, with the US expanding export controls to limit the sale of high-bandwidth memory chips to China, while China announced a ban on critical mineral sales to the US.
A report in late November claimed the US Customs and Border Protection Agency had delayed the delivery of Bitmain’s Application-Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) machines at US ports of entry.
Some US miners have been forced to wait two months to access their Bitmain-manufactured hardware as a result.
Bitmain said it hasn’t been involved in any “supply chain investigation as reported by the media recently.”
Bitmain’s expansion coincides with President-elect Donald Trump’s desire for “all the remaining Bitcoin to be made in the USA,” claiming in a June 12 Truth Social post that it would help the US become “energy dominant.”
Over 44.3% of the Bitcoin network’s hashrate is based in the US and Canada, according to The Chain Bulletin’s Bitcoin Mining Map, and four of the largest Bitcoin miners by valuation — MARA Holdings, Core Scientific, CleanSpark and Riot Platforms — are also based in the US.
The US is host to several Bitcoin mining hotspots around the world. Source: The Chain Bulletin
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Meanwhile, Trump has been communicating plans to impose tariffs on imports.
He said the move could eliminate federal income tax in the US. However, several economists don’t favor the idea, while other experts say he may face legislative hurdles in enacting such measures.
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