The latest round of U.S. semiconductor tariffs will likely leave the bitcoin mining hardware industry unscathed, thanks to key exemptions granted to chip giants Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and Samsung due to their U.S.-based operations.
Taiwanese officials confirmed TSMC’s exemption stems from its Phoenix, Arizona plant, which went live in 2023. South Korean authorities said Samsung’s Texas facilities secured it a similar waiver from the 100% tariff.
TSMC and Samsung produce the ASIC chips that power bitcoin mining machines designed by major players like Bitmain, Canaan, and Bitdeer. While Bitmain and Canaan declined to comment, Bitdeer confirmed that it sources chips from TSMC and expects to launch a U.S.-based miner assembly plant within a year, shielding it from tariff-related disruptions.
Despite geopolitical tensions, markets remained resilient. Taiwan’s TAIEX index is set to open up 2.3%, with TSMC gaining 3% and nearing record highs. Even SMIC, a Chinese rival without U.S. facilities and a likely tariff target, is up this week, outperforming the Hang Seng.
Market Movers Snapshot
- Bitcoin (BTC): After hitting a record high of $123K, BTC is cooling off, trading at $117,386.04. According to CryptoQuant, momentum has softened and on-chain activity suggests a short-term consolidation phase may be underway.
- Ethereum (ETH): Ether is up 6.43% to $3,905.42 and approaching $4,000. Glassnode data shows capital rotation from Solana into ETH, with ETH/BTC breaking its 200-day EMA for the first time in two years. Open interest has surged to $58 billion amid record network usage.
- Gold: Gold gained 0.5% to $3,387 as markets digest potential U.S. tariff implications on India’s Russian oil imports.
- Asia Equities: Japan’s Nikkei 225 rose 1.18%, while the Topix hit a record 3,031.78, driven by strong performances from Nippon Chemical, Miyakoshi Holdings, J-Lease, and Japan Electronic Materials.
- S&P 500: U.S. equities closed higher Wednesday, with the S&P 500 up 0.73% to 6,345.06. Apple climbed 5% following plans to raise its U.S. manufacturing investment by $100 billion—bringing its total to $600 billion over four years.
