American cryptocurrency miners are urgently purchasing charter flights from Southeast Asia in an attempt to circumvent the massive trade tariffs that come into effect on April 9. These measures, initiated by the Donald Trump administration, will hit key equipment: ASIC miners, electrical equipment, and network infrastructure. Estimates suggest that the cost of a single charter flight has already reached $2-3.5 million, and demand for delivery has surged.

According to Ethan Vera, the Chief Operating Officer of Luxor, the market was not prepared for such a situation. Miners did not manage to order equipment in advance and are now working in emergency mode to get all devices before the tariffs come into effect. ASICs paid for before April 5 are exempt from duties. Those ordered from April 5 to April 9 are subject to a reduced tariff of 10%.

Trump's repression may increase prices for ASIC equipment by 22-36%. The next-generation Antminer S21 currently costs about $3400, but its price is expected to exceed $4500 in light of the introduced regime. Over the past year, according to Hashrate Index, the price of ASICs has been decreasing; however, the introduction of tariffs may completely reverse this trend.

This concerns tariffs on goods from 180 countries, including key markets for mining equipment supplies — Malaysia (24%), Thailand (36%), Indonesia (32%), China (104%), and Taiwan (32%). It is in these countries that the production facilities of industry leaders are located: Bitmain, MicroBT, Canaan, Bitdeer, and Auradine. Taiwan's TSMC, the main chip supplier, has not yet been affected by the new restrictions.

Previously, companies began relocating production outside of China. This reduced dependence on previous tariffs. MicroBT opened an assembly plant in the USA in 2023, while Bitmain launched its first line in January 2025. However, these factories currently cover only a small part of the total output.