Trump-Backed Miner Orders $314M ASICs Amid Trade War

• American Bitcoin places $314 million order for 16,299 ASIC units from Bitmain.
• Bitmain considers U.S. expansion to counter tariff challenges.

On August 15, 2025, CoinDesk reported that American Bitcoin, a mining company backed by members of the Trump family, has placed an order for 16,299 ASIC units with Bitmain—a deal valued at approximately $314 million. These cutting-edge units, identified as Antminer U3S21EXPH, are expected to deliver a combined computing power of 14.02 exahashes per second (EH/s). Notably, the agreement includes safeguards against potential price hikes stemming from U.S. tariffs on Chinese-manufactured hardware.

In a notable development aimed at addressing these trade tariffs, Bitmain—the leading supplier of Bitcoin mining hardware with an 82% global market share—announced its intention to establish a manufacturing facility in the United States. The company is targeting the end of 2025 for the facility's launch and is currently evaluating locations in Florida and Texas for its new headquarters. This decision underscores a broader industry trend of key manufacturers relocating portions of their production processes to the U.S. as a strategy to mitigate trade-related costs.

Trade tariffs affecting Chinese-made hardware have sparked divergent opinions within the cryptocurrency mining community. Jaran Mellerud, CEO of Hashlabs, voiced criticism of these tariffs in an interview, calling them inflationary. He argued that increased costs for U.S. miners could dampen domestic demand, creating a surplus of inventory that manufacturers might sell at reduced prices to buyers overseas—potentially accelerating the shift of Bitcoin mining activity out of the United States.

As of August 15, 2025, at 04:12 UTC, Bitcoin (BTC) is trading at $119,192.35, reflecting a 3.36% decrease in 24-hour trading volume, according to CoinMarketCap.