Seized Chinese Cryptocurrency Mining Equipment Starts Being Returned by US Authorities

• U.S. authorities stopped several Bitcoin mining machines at customs starting last year and decided to release some of them now.
• The seizure was reportedly tied to equipment with chips made by trade-restricted Chinese manufacturer Sophgo.
• Delays in releasing the equipment have been attributed to concerns over their radio frequency emissions.

U.S. authorities have started releasing Chinese-made cryptocurrency mining equipment seized in recent months, which had been used in mining operations to build blockchains and earn digital currency. These machines were previously held at various ports of entry.

Taras Kulyk, CEO of Synteq Digital, said, “Thousands of units have been released.” However, he noted that at one point, nearly 10,000 units were held back, according to a recent Reuters report that cites two industry leaders.

The delays have been attributed to concerns over radio frequency emissions from the machines, although both Kulyk and Luxor Technology’s COO, Ethan Vera, emphasized that these concerns were unfounded.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) began detaining certain Bitcoin mining machines late last year, reportedly tied to equipment that included chips from the trade-restricted Chinese manufacturer Sophgo. 

Sophgo had been sanctioned for allegedly serving as a middleman for high-end Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC and Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei, which is on the U.S. blacklist. 

While the release of some seized units signals progress, Vera noted that it is still a minority of the total detained equipment. The partial resolution coincides with broader security concerns and heightened scrutiny over Chinese technology's role in critical U.S. infrastructure. 

The CBP has acknowledged the situation but has not provided further comment. Similarly, inquiries to the FCC remain unanswered. With tensions surrounding Chinese technology and U.S. sanctions ongoing, the future of cryptocurrency mining equipment imports remains uncertain.