Hold on to your hats, folks, because the U.S. Bitcoin mining scene might be in for a bit of a shake-up. President Trump’s recent tariff announcement is set to introduce a minimum 10% tax on all imports starting April 5th, and that could spell trouble.

Bitcoin Miners, Prepare for Turbulence: Trump’s Tariffs Could Rock Supply Chains

And that’s not all. Two key countries in the Bitcoin mining hardware game, Thailand and Malaysia, are also looking at significant hikes in customs duties. We’re talking 36% for Thailand and 24% for Malaysia, both kicking in on April 9th.

Now, a lot of big Bitcoin mining operations are based in the good ol’ US of A, but here’s the catch: their supply chains are largely over in Asia. Take Bitmain, for example – they’re a huge player in Bitcoin mining hardware from Beijing, and they’ve got production lines in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand.

Just to show you how real this is, Lin, who’s the hardware guru at Luxor Technology (a US-based Bitcoin mining software and services company), mentioned he had to pull off a crazy dash to ship 5,600 Bitcoin miners from Thailand to the US in just 48 hours – all to dodge those tariffs.

This sudden policy shift has really thrown a wrench in the works, forcing mining companies to rethink their plans. Higher costs for importing mining gear could definitely bump up their operating expenses, which could then have a knock-on effect on Bitcoin’s network hash rate and how profitable mining is in the US overall.

With all this trade policy drama brewing, the big question is what the long-term consequences will be for Bitcoin mining operations and whether supply chains will stay stable. It’s all a bit up in the air right now.

*Friendly reminder: this isn’t financial advice.