Zhan Ketuan, a prominent Chinese entrepreneur and co-founder of Bitmain, a leading Bitcoin mining hardware manufacturer, is under increased scrutiny from U.S. authorities. Bitmain has faced shipment impoundments, and Zhan’s AI-focused companies have been sanctioned. His ambition to rival Nvidia with AI chips led to a costly internal conflict at Bitmain years ago. These geopolitical tensions are disrupting Chinese tech firms, particularly in semiconductors, as they face challenges accessing essential chip manufacturing resources.