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| When a company with Chinese origins broke ground last year on a crypto-mining operation in Cheyenne, Wyoming, a team at Microsoft that assesses national security threats sounded the alarm. |
| 去年，当一家有中国背景的公司在怀俄明州夏延动工进行加密货币采矿时，微软一个评估国家安全威胁的团队拉响了警报。 |
| Not only was the site next door to a Microsoft data center that supported the Pentagon, but it was also about 1 mile away from an Air Force base that controlled nuclear-armed intercontinental ballistic missiles. |
| 这个地点紧邻为五角大楼提供支持的微软数据中心，而且距离一个控制携带核武器的洲际弹道导弹的空军基地也只有1.6公里。 |
| The location could allow the Chinese to “pursue full-spectrum intelligence collection operations,” the Microsoft team wrote in an August 2022 report to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, a federal body that monitors threats posed by overseas investors. |
| 微软团队在2022年8月提交给外国在美投资委员会的一份报告中写道，这个地点可以让中国人“开展全方位的情报收集行动”，该委员会是一个负责监控海外投资者威胁的联邦机构。 |
| Microsoft’s warning did not go unheeded. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, U.S. government officials told The New York Times last week that they had been tracking the Wyoming operation for months. One official said that measures had been taken to mitigate potential intelligence collection but declined to elaborate. In addition, the mining company said it responded to queries from the federal investment committee. |
| 微软的警告并未石沉大海。不愿透露姓名的美国政府官员上周告诉《纽约时报》，他们几个月来一直在追踪怀俄明州的行动。一名官员表示，已采取措施来减少潜在的情报收集，但拒绝详细说明。此外，这家挖矿公司表示，它已回应了这个联邦投资委员会的询问。 |
| The national security concerns about the Wyoming site, previously unreported, reflect a broader unease about a recent surge in Chinese bitcoin mines across the country. |
| 此前未被报道的对怀俄明州比特币矿场的国家安全担忧，反映了人们对中国比特币矿场最近在全美各地激增的普遍不安。 |
| Aside from intelligence-gathering worries, the mines, which are large warehouses or containers packed with specialized computers, put immense pressure on power grids. The computers typically run around the clock while “mining” for the digital coins, the most popular among the various cryptocurrencies. |
| 除了情报收集方面的担忧外，这些装有专用计算机的大型仓库或集装箱给电网带来了巨大的压力。这些计算机通常在“挖掘”比特币（各种加密货币中最受欢迎的一种）时，需要24小时不停地运行。 |
| Brian Harrell, a former assistant secretary for infrastructure protection at the Department of Homeland Security during the Trump administration, said the operations could place “enormous stress” on the grid if the mines worked in concert to wreak havoc. |
| 特朗普政府期间在国土安全部担任基础设施保护助理部长的布莱恩·哈雷尔表示，如果这些矿场协同工作，造成严重破坏，这些行动可能会给电网带来“巨大压力”。 |
| Possibilities include targeted blackouts and cyberattacks. |
| 可能性包括有针对性的停电和网络攻击。 |
| If Chinese “infrastructure impacts key energy systems,” Harrell said, “it should immediately draw additional investigation and scrutiny.” |
| 如果中国的“基础设施影响到关键的能源系统”，哈雷尔说，“就应该立即进行额外的调查和审查。” |
| In at least 12 states — including Arkansas, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas and Wyoming — the Times identified Chinese-owned or Chinese-operated bitcoin mines that together use as much energy as 1.5 million homes. At full capacity, the Cheyenne mine alone would require enough electricity to power 55,000 houses. |
| 《纽约时报》至少在12个州——包括阿肯色州、俄亥俄州、俄克拉荷马州、田纳西州、得克萨斯州和怀俄明州——发现了中国人拥有或经营的比特币矿场，它们消耗的能源相当于150万户家庭的用电量。在满负荷运转的情况下，仅夏延矿场就需要足够5.5万户家庭使用的电力。 |
| Many of the mines are equipped with computers made by Bitmain, a Chinese company that has no apparent direct connection to Chinese authorities but, according to import records, has sent some shipments to the United States through a subsidiary located at a Communist Party site in southern China. |
| 许多矿场都配备了比特大陆制造的电脑，这家中国公司与中国当局没有明显的直接联系，但根据进口记录，它通过一家子公司向美国运送了一些货物，而这个子公司的办公地点位于中国南部一个共产党的单位里。 |
| Since bitcoin mining was banned in China in May 2021 over concerns about energy usage and economic destabilization, Bitmain has shipped 15 times more equipment to the United States than it did in the previous five years combined, the records show. A recent presentation by the company claimed it controlled 90% of the global market for the equipment, which is specially designed for bitcoin mining. |
| 记录显示，自2021年5月出于对能源使用和经济不稳定的担忧，中国禁止比特币挖矿以来，比特大陆向美国运送的设备是此前五年总和的15倍。该公司最近的一份报告称，它控制了全球90%的设备市场，这些设备是专门为比特币挖矿设计的。 |
| Some of the U.S. mining operations appear to be straightforward efforts by wealthy Chinese nationals to make money outside the purview of Chinese authorities. For others, the ownership is opaque, while several can be traced to the Chinese government. |
| 美国的一些采矿业务似乎只是富有的中国公民在中国当局管辖范围之外赚钱的行动。另一些矿场的所有权并不透明，其中一些可以追溯到中国政府。 |
| Court documents show that the mine in Cheyenne is linked to five companies, all using the same office on Park Avenue in New York City. One of them is registered in the Cayman Islands and until last year was a Chinese pork-processing company. The Times did not find any links between the owners of the Cheyenne mine and the Chinese government or Communist Party. |
| 法庭文件显示，位于夏延的矿场与五家公司有关联，它们都使用纽约市公园大道上的同一处办公地点。其中一家在开曼群岛注册，直到去年还是一家中国猪肉加工公司。时报没有发现夏延矿场的所有者与中国政府或共产党之间存在任何联系。 |
| “Microsoft has no direct indications of malicious activities by this entity,” Microsoft said in its 16-page report. “However, pending further discovery, we suggest the possibility that the computing power of an industrial-level crypto-mining operation, along with the presence of an unidentified number of Chinese nationals in direct proximity to Microsoft’s Data Center and one of three strategic-missile bases in the U.S., provides significant threat vectors.” |
| “微软没有发现直接迹象，表明该实体存在恶意活动，”微软在长达16页的报告中表示。“然而，在有进一步发现之前，我们认为工业级加密货币挖矿操作的计算能力，以及数量不明的中国公民直接靠近微软数据中心和美国三个战略导弹基地之一的可能性，提供了重大的威胁载体。” |
| The new risks come amid a steep rise in bitcoin mining in the United States. This year, a Times investigation found that operations were consuming about 4,000 megawatts — enough to power more than 3 million U.S. households — and that more megawatts were continuously coming online. |
| 新的风险出现之际，美国的比特币挖矿活动正在急剧增加。今年，《纽约时报》的一项调查发现，比特币挖矿业务消耗了大约4000兆瓦的电力——足以为300多万美国家庭供电——而且还有更多的兆瓦电力正在不断上线。 |
| The operations’ vast energy consumption, combined with their ability to turn on or off almost instantly, is unique among large power users. The combination allows many to participate in programs that pay them to shut down when a grid is under strain. |
| 这些操作的巨大能源消耗，加上几乎可以立即开启或关闭的能力，在大型电力用户中是独一无二的。这种组合使得许多大用户能够参与到一些项目中来，当电网负荷过大时，项目会向他们支付关闭费用。 |
| That flexibility can help keep the lights on, but it can also disrupt the delicate balance grids require. In Texas, the state grid operator recently disclosed that some mines’ unpredictable behavior could result in “emergency conditions.” |
| 这种灵活性有助于维持电力供应，但也会破坏电网所需的微妙平衡。在得克萨斯州，国家电网运营商最近披露，一些比特币矿场不可预测的行为可能导致“紧急情况”。 |
| Many mines also have digital connections with grid operators that — if inappropriately managed — could allow intrusions into critical systems. |
| 许多矿场还与电网运营商建立了数字连接，如果管理不当，可能会导致关键系统遭到入侵。 |
| Bitmain’s dominance of the mining machine market has raised fears. In the past, researchers found “back doors” that would have allowed the company to covertly operate its equipment. After one was discovered in 2017, the company confirmed it could have remotely controlled its mining machines. A similar issue was found in 2019. The company did not respond to questions about vulnerabilities in its devices. |
| 比特大陆在矿机市场的主导地位引发了担忧。过去，研究人员曾发现一些“后门”，使得该公司可以暗中操控设备。在2017年发现其中一个漏洞后，该公司证实它可以远程控制矿机。2019年也发现了类似的问题。该公司没有回应有关其设备漏洞的问题。 |
| In July, an official with the North American Electric Reliability Corp., which oversees protection of the power grid, told Congress about the growing threat of Chinese cyberattacks. And a recent report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence warned that if China felt a major conflict with the U.S. was imminent, “it almost certainly would consider undertaking aggressive cyberoperations against U.S. homeland critical infrastructure.” |
| 今年7月，负责电网保护的北美电力可靠性公司的一名官员向国会表示，中国网络攻击的威胁日益严重。美国国家情报总监办公室最近的一份报告警告，如果中国觉得与美国的重大冲突迫在眉睫，“它几乎肯定会考虑对美国本土的关键基础设施采取激进的网络行动。” |
| The Chertoff Group, a prominent security advisory firm, has been approached by several “critical infrastructure providers” for advice about the risks posed by bitcoin miners, particularly those owned by the Chinese, said Ben Joelson, one of the firm’s security experts. |
| 知名安全咨询公司切尔托夫集团的安全专家本·乔尔森说，几家“关键基础设施提供商”已经与该公司接洽，希望就比特币矿商，尤其是中国人拥有的矿商带来的风险提供建议。 |
| In many parts of the country, the frustration is palpable. |
| 在这个国家的许多地方，这种挫折感是显而易见的。 |
| “We’re all worked up over TikTok, but nobody seems to be saying anything about these Chinese companies connecting to our grids,” said Bryan King, a Republican state senator in Arkansas whose district includes the city of Harrison, where a Chinese investment group has purchased land for a bitcoin mine. “It just doesn’t make sense.” |
| “我们都很警惕TikTok，但似乎没有人对这些中国公司接入我们的电网说什么，”阿肯色州共和党参议员布莱恩·金说。他所在的选区包括哈里森市，一家中国投资集团在那里购买土地，建设比特币矿场。“这根本说不通。” |
| Companies Within Companies |
| 公司中的公司 |
| Across the United States, the identities of the Chinese mines’ owners are often hidden in a maze of shell companies that are themselves owned by shell companies. In several instances, the actual owners have ties to the Chinese Communist Party, the government or state-owned entities, records show. |
| 在美国各地，中国矿主的身份往往隐藏在一堆空壳公司之中，而这些空壳公司本身又由空壳公司拥有。记录显示，在一些情况下，实际所有者与中国共产党、政府或国有实体有联系。 |
| In Cheyenne, a lawsuit over a disputed contract revealed that Bitmain, the Chinese computer maker, was a participant in the mine near the Air Force base. It is also involved in mining operations in Arkansas and Washington state, according to interviews and public statements. |
| 在夏延，一场围绕一份争议合同的诉讼显示，中国电脑制造商比特大陆参与了空军基地附近的那个矿场。根据采访和公开声明，该公司还参与了阿肯色州和华盛顿州的采矿业务。 |
| The company’s exports to the United States have been routed over the past 15 months through a subsidiary, Hainan Bitmain Technologies, which lists its address as a Communist Party guesthouse in Wanning, a city on the eastern part of Hainan, according to records from Import Genius, a trade data aggregator. |
| 过去15个月里，该公司对美国的出口一直是通过其子公司海南比特大陆科技有限公司进行的。根据贸易数据汇总公司Import Genius的记录，该公司的地址位于海南东部城市万宁一家共产党开办的宾馆里。 |
| Zhang Xinyu, an employee named as the point of contact in corporate records, said that the Bitmain subsidiary was no longer at the guesthouse and that local governments in China vying to attract businesses offered temporary addresses so that they could quickly set up shop. |
| 公司记录中被列为联络人的员工张新宇（音）表示，这家比特大陆的子公司已经不在这家宾馆了，中国的地方政府为了吸引企业，都会提供临时地址，以便企业可以迅速营业。 |
| “And any company can rent this location, it’s just a hotel with many rooms,” the employee added in an email. “There’s no other reason.” |
| “任何公司都可以租用这个地方，它只是一个有很多房间的酒店，”这名员工在电子邮件中补充说。“没有别的原因了。” |
| ‘We Chose America’ |
| “我们选择了美国” |
| The influx of mining in Texas has already begun to affect the state grid, one of the most vulnerable in the country because it is unconnected to others outside the state. |
| 得州大量涌入的矿业已经开始影响到该州的电网，该州电网是美国最脆弱的电网之一，因为它与州外的其他电网没有联系。 |
| The grid’s operator, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, recently reported that bitcoin mines’ energy consumption and lack of transparency had resulted in forecasting errors. The mines can “magnify the severity of grid events,” impacting reliability, the company said. |
| 电网运营商得州电力可靠性委员会最近报告称，比特币矿场的能源消耗和缺乏透明度导致了预测错误。该公司表示，这些矿场会“放大电网事件的严重性”，影响可靠性。 |
| One proposal to reduce this risk is to regulate how fast the mines can start or stop using energy. Unlike power generators and transmission companies, bitcoin mines are almost wholly unregulated and operate in a “gray area,” according to Howard Gugel, a vice president at NERC, the body tasked with protecting the U.S. grid. |
| 降低这种风险的一项建议是对矿场启动或停止使用能源的速度进行监管。负责保护美国电网的NERC副总裁霍华德·古格尔表示，与发电机和输电公司不同，比特币矿场几乎完全不受监管，处于“灰色地带”。 |
| Chinese cryptocurrency mines have quickly entrenched themselves in Texas and are learning to adapt to its politics. |
| 中国的加密货币矿场迅速在得克萨斯州站稳脚跟，并正在学习适应该州的政治。 |
| One company, Poolin, set up by a Bitmain veteran, runs a pair of mines in West Texas that together can draw on as much as 600 megawatts of energy, enough to power nearly 500,000 U.S. homes. The company’s founder, Kevin Pan, is a Chinese citizen who has celebrated the warm embrace he and his company have received in Texas. |
| 一家名为Poolin的公司由比特大陆的资深人士创立，该公司在西得克萨斯州经营着两个矿，总共可以消耗多达600兆瓦的能源，足以为近50万户美国家庭供电。该公司的创始人凯文·潘（音）是一名中国公民，他很高兴自己和公司在得克萨斯州受到了热烈欢迎。 |
| At a company celebration last year, he was seen wearing a cowboy hat and challenging guests to a one-armed pushup contest. |
| 在去年的一次公司庆典上，他戴着牛仔帽，当众挑战来宾做单臂俯卧撑比赛。 |
| “I feel so lucky we chose Texas,” Pan said. “We chose America.” |
| “我感到很幸运，我们选择了得克萨斯州，”凯文·潘说。“我们选择了美国。” |
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