The United States has imposed tariffs on certain semiconductors.
On January 14th local time, the White House issued a notice stating: Starting from this date, a 25% import ad valorem tariff will be imposed on certain imported semiconductors, semiconductor manufacturing equipment and their derivatives.
On January 14th local time, the White House of the United States issued a notice stating: Starting from this day, a 25% import ad valorem tariff will be imposed on certain imported semiconductors, semiconductor manufacturing equipment and their derivatives. This hastily implemented policy is not only the continuation of the Trump administration's strategy of "forcing industries to return through trade protection", but also pushes the global semiconductor supply chain into the deep waters of geopolitical competition and cost restructuring.
At present, the key variable determining the direction of the policy lies in the cross-border negotiations over the next 90 days. The Trump administration has requested the Secretary of Commerce and the Trade Representative to report on the progress during this period. If no agreement is reached within 180 days, a second phase of more extensive tariff policies may be initiated. This industrial game under the guise of "national security" will ultimately determine whether the US can achieve its goal of reshaping its industrial chain or will fall into a "harming others and harming oneself" predicament. Only time will tell.
The original announcement can be clicked here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/01/adjusting-imports-of-semiconductors-semiconductor-manufacturing-equipment-and-their-derivative-products-into-the-united-states/
On January 14th local time, the White House of the United States issued a notice stating: Starting from this day, a 25% import ad valorem tariff will be imposed on certain imported semiconductors, semiconductor manufacturing equipment and their derivatives. This hastily implemented policy is not only the continuation of the Trump administration's strategy of "forcing industries to return through trade protection", but also pushes the global semiconductor supply chain into the deep waters of geopolitical competition and cost restructuring.
This tariff policy explicitly includes advanced AI chips such as NVIDIA H200 and AMD MI325X in the tax scope. These high-end products that support the development of artificial intelligence have been identified by the US as "unable to contribute to the construction of the domestic technology supply chain and posing a threat to national security". Meanwhile, eight scenarios such as chips used in US domestic data centers, chips needed for research and development activities, and application products used by start-ups have been included in the exemption list, forming a policy loop of "suppressing external production capacity and ensuring internal demand". It is worth noting that this tariff is additional and will be combined with existing other taxes, and will remain in effect until it is explicitly exempted, bringing long-term cost pressure to related enterprises.
According to the investigation report submitted by the US Department of Commerce on December 22, 2025, the United States consumes one quarter of the world's semiconductors, but its domestic production can only meet 10% of the demand. Especially in key areas such as advanced lithography equipment, it is highly dependent on overseas supply chains. This report deeply links semiconductors with national defense security and critical infrastructure, stating that supply chain disruptions will directly weaken the industrial and military capabilities of the United States. It provides so-called "legal support" for the tariff policy - the Trump administration has this time invoked Section 232 of the 1962 Trade Expansion Act, continuing its consistent practice of using administrative power to promote trade policies.
From the perspective of policy evolution, the current 25% tax rate is the result of a phased adjustment. As early as August 2025, Trump had proposed an aggressive idea of imposing a 100% tariff on chips. This tax rate reduction did not change the essence of the policy; instead, it strengthened its targeting through more precise scope definition. What is more controversial is that the legality of this policy remains unresolved. The Trump administration's approach of bypassing Congress and invoking the "International Emergency Economic Powers Act" to implement tariffs has triggered multiple legal lawsuits. The lower courts had ruled that the policy was illegal, and the Federal Supreme Court did not make a final decision on January 14th, which has laid the groundwork for uncertainty regarding the future direction of the policy.
At present, the key variable determining the direction of the policy lies in the cross-border negotiations over the next 90 days. The Trump administration has requested the Secretary of Commerce and the Trade Representative to report on the progress during this period. If no agreement is reached within 180 days, a second phase of more extensive tariff policies may be initiated. This industrial game under the guise of "national security" will ultimately determine whether the US can achieve its goal of reshaping its industrial chain or will fall into a "harming others and harming oneself" predicament. Only time will tell.
The original announcement can be clicked here: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2026/01/adjusting-imports-of-semiconductors-semiconductor-manufacturing-equipment-and-their-derivative-products-into-the-united-states/
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