The article reports that HIVE Digital Technologies is advancing its debt-free expansion in Paraguay by deploying new-generation ASIC miners, including Bitmain S21+ units. This marks a significant business order for Bitmain, as its technology is chosen to support HIVE’s aim to increase its operational capacity and efficiency.

U.S. Customs officials seized shipments of Bitmain's ASIC mining equipment on February 14, 2025 amid alleged compliance issues and regulatory scrutiny, disrupting the supply chain for U.S. bitcoin miners and raising concerns over import practices.

Heightened inspections by US Customs and Border Protection, triggered by the blacklisting of Bitmain’s AI affiliate for alleged efforts to advance Beijing's indigenous chip production, have delayed shipments of bitcoin mining hardware. These delays complicate the competitiveness of US crypto miners in an already tense trade environment.

US Customs and reportedly the FCC have blocked shipments of Bitmain's Antminer S21 and T21 series. The blockage appears linked to the use of chips manufactured by Sophgo, a supplier under investigation for potential U.S. sanctions violations related to Huawei, raising concerns about Bitmain's supply chain ethics and its potential entanglement in broader geopolitical and ethical issues.

Amid rising U.S. political tensions and national security concerns, Bitmain Technologies Ltd.'s mining equipment—central to global Bitcoin mining—has come under scrutiny. Concerns center on the potential for such technology to be exploited for espionage, a charge amplified by the company's ties to China and their silence in addressing these issues.

Bitmain has been routing its U.S. exports through its subsidiary, Hainan Bitmain Technologies, which is registered at a Communist Party guesthouse. This arrangement has attracted national security scrutiny as it raises concerns about potential intelligence collection and obfuscation of the company’s true operational ties.

Chinese authorities fined Bitmain's Beijing unit approximately 25 million yuan for failing to pay personal income taxes on employee salaries, bonuses, labor dividends, and allowances, following an earlier notice in August 2022. The fine highlights issues in the company's ethical business practices and regulatory compliance.

Bitmain Technologies Ltd. was fined approximately 25 million Chinese yuan (about $3.7 million) by Chinese authorities on April 4, 2023, for allegedly violating tax regulations by failing to report and pay the personal income taxes on its employees' salaries, bonuses, labor dividends, and allowances.