CleanSpark Faces Import Tariff Claims from CBP
Recently, the cryptocurrency mining company CleanSpark revealed that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has been continuously sending letters since May 27, stating that the Bitcoin mining machines imported by CleanSpark from April to June 2024 are from China. Therefore, CBP demands that CleanSpark pay high import tariffs based on China’s country of origin.
(Background: Trump proposes 100% semiconductor tariffs, TSMC invests $200 billion to “dodge a bullet,” shares rise 5% at opening)
(Supplementary Background: Trump announces “important statement” at midnight on August 7; are semiconductor tariffs coming?)
Potential Financial Impact
In its Q2 2025 financial report, CleanSpark disclosed that if the CBP’s accusations are substantiated and tariffs are retroactively applied to all mining machines imported since April 2024, CleanSpark estimates it will have to pay $185 million, excluding statutory interest.
However, faced with this exorbitant bill, CleanSpark firmly denies the CBP’s allegations. The company stated that its import documents and hardware suppliers’ declarations clearly indicate that these mining machines did not originate from China and fully comply with the terms of purchase agreements. CleanSpark emphasized in its financial report:
“We believe the CBP’s accusations regarding the origin of imported mining machines from China are unfounded, and the company will do everything possible to defend its rights.”
Currently, CleanSpark has not prepared funds in advance for this potential expense, as they believe the likelihood of having to pay this amount is low.
More Companies Under Scrutiny
In fact, CleanSpark is not the only mining company targeted by CBP. Another publicly traded miner, IREN, also disclosed earlier this year that CBP similarly accused it of importing mining machines from China between April 2024 and February 2025, involving a tariff dispute of up to $100 million. However, IREN also denied the accusations and is actively contesting the action notice issued by CBP.
The cases of CleanSpark and IREN demonstrate that U.S. Customs authorities are conducting large-scale investigations into the country of origin of cryptocurrency mining equipment, undoubtedly influenced by the significant impact of the U.S.-China trade war. This also brings the supply chain issues of the cryptocurrency mining industry back into focus due to tariffs.
In the future, as the U.S. strengthens its regulatory oversight on imported goods, it is likely that more mining companies will face similar challenges, especially since the largest manufacturers of mining machines are still based in China.
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