US Relaxes Control of Seized Bitcoin Mining Rigs, But Many Still Seized
US authorities have begun releasing seized Bitcoin mining equipment after months of strict scrutiny of Chinese-made chips. While thousands of mining rigs have been released, a large number of devices continue to be held.
US Relaxes Control, Releases Seized Bitcoin Mining Equipment
According to a Reuters report on March 5, US authorities have begun releasing some of the cryptocurrency mining equipment seized in recent times. Taras Kulyk, CEO and co-founder of Synteq Digital, a mining equipment brokerage firm, revealed that thousands of units have been released.
At one point, Kulyk said, there were about 10,000 mining rigs stuck at ports across the United States. Ethan Vera, CEO of Luxor Technology, also confirmed that “some of the seized shipments are being released, but that is a minority.” The release comes after months of scrutiny, particularly for Chinese-made chips.
Origins of the seizures and national security concerns
The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) began seizing bitcoin mining machines in late 2024, according to a Blockspace report cited by Reuters. Some of the mining rigs are suspected of containing chips from Sophgo, a Chinese semiconductor company that is on the US trade blacklist.
National security concerns are among the main reasons for the crackdown. Sophgo is accused of acting as an intermediary between Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC and Chinese telecommunications company Huawei, which is on a US blacklist. Kulyk suggested that some CBP officials were deliberately slowing down the release, saying “there are some people who don’t like the Bitcoin mining industry and want to make it difficult for the industry.”
Concerns about radio frequency emissions from mining equipment
Another factor that led to the seizures was concerns about radio frequency emissions from Bitcoin mining rigs. However, industry executives dismissed these concerns as unfounded. Neither agency immediately responded to Reuters’ requests for comment.
The partial release of the mining equipment comes amid trade tensions between the United States and China, particularly in the technology sector, where security concerns and trade restrictions have played a major role in U.S. policy decisions.
US authorities have begun releasing seized Bitcoin mining equipment after months of strict scrutiny of Chinese-made chips. While thousands of mining rigs have been released, a large number of devices continue to be held.
US Relaxes Control, Releases Seized Bitcoin Mining Equipment
According to a Reuters report on March 5, US authorities have begun releasing some of the cryptocurrency mining equipment seized in recent times. Taras Kulyk, CEO and co-founder of Synteq Digital, a mining equipment brokerage firm, revealed that thousands of units have been released.
At one point, Kulyk said, there were about 10,000 mining rigs stuck at ports across the United States. Ethan Vera, CEO of Luxor Technology, also confirmed that “some of the seized shipments are being released, but that is a minority.” The release comes after months of scrutiny, particularly for Chinese-made chips.
Origins of the seizures and national security concerns
The US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) began seizing bitcoin mining machines in late 2024, according to a Blockspace report cited by Reuters. Some of the mining rigs are suspected of containing chips from Sophgo, a Chinese semiconductor company that is on the US trade blacklist.
National security concerns are among the main reasons for the crackdown. Sophgo is accused of acting as an intermediary between Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC and Chinese telecommunications company Huawei, which is on a US blacklist. Kulyk suggested that some CBP officials were deliberately slowing down the release, saying “there are some people who don’t like the Bitcoin mining industry and want to make it difficult for the industry.”
Concerns about radio frequency emissions from mining equipment
Another factor that led to the seizures was concerns about radio frequency emissions from Bitcoin mining rigs. However, industry executives dismissed these concerns as unfounded. Neither agency immediately responded to Reuters’ requests for comment.
The partial release of the mining equipment comes amid trade tensions between the United States and China, particularly in the technology sector, where security concerns and trade restrictions have played a major role in U.S. policy decisions.