Global shortage of chips affects China’s bitcoin ‘mining’ sector 24 Jan 2021 The picture shows representations of virtual currency bitcoin. File/Reuters A global chip shortage is choking the production of machines used to ‘mine’ bitcoin, a sector dominated by China, sending prices of the computer equipment soaring as a surge in the cryptocurrency value boosts demand. A cryptocurrency is a digital currency that can be used to buy goods and services, but uses an online ledger with strong cryptography to secure online transactions. Analysts said that the scramble is p...