Expert Predicts Surge in ASIC Miner Imports to the US Amid Tariff Concerns

Amid the ongoing «tariff pause,» a short-term increase in the import of Bitcoin mining equipment to the U.S. is anticipated due to miners’ concerns about potential tariff hikes. This was stated by Hashlabs CEO Jaran Mellerud.

On April 2, U.S. President Donald Trump announced new tariffs for trade partners, with a minimum rate of 10% for all countries taking effect from April 5.

For a significant number of partners, «reciprocal tariffs» were set to be introduced starting April 9. This included increased rates for Malaysia (24%), Thailand (36%), Indonesia (32%), and Taiwan (32%), with the rate for China ultimately reaching 145%.

The first three jurisdictions host the major assembly facilities for the largest ASIC miners. Taiwanese company TSMC supplies a substantial portion of the necessary chips for these devices, while leading manufacturers Bitmain (holding ~80% of the market) and MicroBT (~7%) are registered in China and partially operate there.

Industry experts have branded the impact of the proposed tariffs as a «massive blow» for the American mining industry. In anticipation of the tariffs, miners hurried to bring previously ordered equipment into the U.S., even paying exorbitant prices for air charters from Southeast Asia, with flight costs skyrocketing to $2.5 million.

However, just before the reciprocal tariffs were set to take effect, Trump announced a 90-day delay in their implementation, while maintaining the initial 10% base tariff.

Mellerud referred to this tariff as «substantial but not devastating.»

«By paying 10% more for installations compared to foreign competitors, American miners find themselves at a disadvantage. While this isn’t enough to render cryptocurrency mining unprofitable in the U.S., it does raise capital expenses and affects the viability of new long-term investments,» he acknowledged.

For these reasons, miners are likely to rush the import of equipment into the U.S. in an effort to stay ahead of potential future price increases, Mellerud added.

«Sudden, large-scale changes like these create uncertainty, making it difficult for capital-intensive industries such as Bitcoin mining to plan and scale operations,» Mellerud emphasized.

Previously, the expert calculated the repercussions of the tariffs announced by Trump for American miners of the leading cryptocurrency. He estimated that these tariffs would lead to a 24% increase in equipment costs. The payback period for the latest generation Antminer S21 from Bitmain would stretch to 23 months, compared to 18 months for companies outside the United States.

«The U.S. share in the global Bitcoin mining industry is likely to decrease due to these tariffs. The country will remain a significant player, but its dominance will weaken, resulting in a more distributed global hash rate,» Mellerud concluded.

The United States currently accounts for 35-40% of the computing power in the Bitcoin network.

It’s worth noting that during his campaign, Trump referred to himself as the «crypto president» and promised to make the U.S. the «world capital» of the digital assets industry, pledging to globally protect the mining sector.