Warren Presses Commerce for Bitmain Records Over National Security Risks

The request highlights an unresolved DHS probe into whether Chinese-made mining rigs could enable espionage or disrupt the U.S. power grid.

Overview

Senator Elizabeth Warren, in a letter sent Thursday, asked Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick for Bitmain-related records, including any contacts with the department by the company or by Trump-family–backed American Bitcoin Corp.
Her inquiry follows the Department of Homeland Security’s Operation Red Sunset, which examined whether Bitmain’s always-online mining rigs could be remotely used to gather data or knock parts of the grid offline, with the probe’s status still unclear.
A separate federal review in May 2024 flagged Bitmain equipment operating near a U.S. military base as a national security concern, adding weight to calls for tighter oversight of foreign-made mining hardware.
Bitmain holds an outsize share of the ASIC market, with reporting citing roughly 80% for the largest vendor, which means many U.S. miners rely on its networked machines and any curbs could ripple through power-hungry operations.
Bitmain denies wrongdoing and says it follows U.S. laws, even as trade actions hit related firms and shipments, and the company pursues a first U.S. factory planned to start production in 2026.