Chinese Maker Behind Most of World’s Bitcoin Miners Has Been Focus of US National Security Probe
Investigators have sought to assess whether Bitmain Technologies’ products pose risks of espionage or sabotage, according to people familiar with the matter. The company says they don’t.
Power supply units for mining rigs made by Bitmain Technologies Ltd.
Photographer: Bloomberg
A Chinese manufacturer that sells most of the world’s Bitcoin-mining machines — including 16,000 of them to a venture backed by two of President Donald Trump’s sons — has been the focus of a months-long federal investigation to assess whether its products pose risks to US national security.
The use of Beijing-based Bitmain Technologies Ltd.’s machines at a site near a military base raised “significant national security concerns” in a federal review last year. And the firm’s name surfaced again in July in a report from the Senate Intelligence Committee that said its devices could be manipulated from China and that they present “several disturbing vulnerabilities” to the US.