Currently, TSMC is only building its most advanced chips in Taiwan. But when the most advanced American FABS are operational, they will be willing to produce “tens of millions of leading chips” to “power products such as 5G/6G smartphones, autonomous vehicles and AI-data center servers,” said the Commerce Department in 2024.
TSMC has not confirmed the WSJ report, but has provided a statement: “We are pleased to get the chance to meet the president and look forward to discussing our shared vision of innovation and growth in the semiconductor industry, as well as investigating ways to strengthen the technology sector together with our customers.”
Trump threat of semiconductor rates still appears
Advanced chips are considered crucial for AI innovation, which Trump has given priority, as well as for national security.
Without a steady delivery, the US risk considerable technological and economic losses and potential weakening of its army.
To avert that, Trump campaigned on imposing rates that he claimed would bring more semiconductor production to the US while criticizing the Chips Act for the cost of the American billions. Following that promise, in February, he threatened a “25 percent or more rate” for all imports of semiconductors, the WSJ reported. According to CNBC, Trump suggested that those rates could be in force by 2 April.
“We need chips in this country,” Trump said last month. “At the moment everything is being made in Taiwan, almost all, a bit in South Korea, but everything – almost all is made in Taiwan. And we want it to be made – we want those companies to come to our country in all respects.”
Although it is unclear whether Trump is planning to openly kill the Chips Act, his cutbacks on government financing could activate a future where the Chips Act dies without employees to declare that companies meet the requirements for continuous price payments, a semiconductor industry consultant group, Warn in a statement previous month.
“If I were running a chip company, I would not count on chips act financing, even if I had a signed contract,” said SA's statement.
