Trump Tariffs Shake the Crypto Industry! Miners Rush to Relocate Rigs, Dashing the Dream of “Bitcoin Made in America”

Trump Tariffs Shake the Crypto Industry! Miners Rush to Relocate Rigs, Dashing the Dream of “Bitcoin Made in America”

📍 April 18, 2025 — U.S. Tariffs Rattle Crypto Mining Industry, Triggering Global Supply Chain Scramble
The crypto mining sector was thrown into turmoil after the U.S. government under President Donald Trump announced steep import tariffs on crypto mining rigs from Thailand (36%), Indonesia (32%), and Malaysia (24%). The policy ignited global supply chain disruptions and cast fresh doubts on the future of Bitcoin manufacturing in America.
Although Trump had previously pledged to support "Bitcoin Made in America," the reality tells a different story. Major industry players were forced into a frantic race to ship mining hardware out of Asia before the new tariffs took effect on April 9.

🔻 Bitcoin Miners Face Soaring Costs
U.S. mining operators—particularly those relying on Chinese-manufactured rigs by companies like Bitmain—were hit hard by logistics costs as they scrambled to reroute shipments from Southeast Asia. Emergency measures included leasing cargo planes, trucks, and dozens of container ships at up to 20 times normal shipping costs.
- A logistics firm in Thailand coordinated 57 truck trips to deliver mining rigs from a warehouse near Bangkok to three chartered flights.
- Luxor Technology imported over 3,000 machines from Thailand and neighboring countries within days.
- EES Freight Services activated a fast-track route from Indonesia via Singapore to the U.S.

📉 Clash With “Made in America” Narrative
Despite political promises to foster a domestic crypto hardware industry, U.S.-made mining equipment remains far behind in terms of performance and cost efficiency. Most operators still rely heavily on Chinese-manufactured rigs.
“Production and technical limitations continue to make Bitcoin mining in America impractical in the near term,” a Luxor analyst noted.

⏳ 90-Day Tariff Suspension Offers Little Relief
On April 9, Trump issued a 90-day suspension on the new tariffs for several countries. However, for crypto companies, the episode served as a wake-up call about supply chain fragility and the need for diversification.
“Reconfiguring supply lines came at a high cost. Even with the tariff pause, going back to China as a default source may no longer be a viable option,” a CoinDesk analyst said.