Tariffs on imported chips will soon come into force

The US administration responsible for the deployment of tariffs does not rest. Last Friday and near midnight, the US Customs and Border Protection Office He published a statement in which he officialized that some electronic devices and strategic components They were temporarily exempt from tariffs. Of all of them. Of 10% global applied to most of the planet’s countries, and also of the very tariff that penalizes Imports that come from China.

This villantazo of the Government of Donald Trump is unexpected in the context of confrontation that the US maintains not only with the country led by Xi Jinping, but essentially with all the nations with which it maintains commercial relations. However, it makes sense. One of the categories of strategic components that at the moment are exempt from these taxes are semiconductors. The business of many US technology companies depends on the integrated circuits that import from Taiwan, China or South Korea, and tariffs They have the ability to compromise it.

Tariffs will soon reach the imported integrated circuits

With all Apple, Nvidia, AMD, Qualcomm, Broadcom and many other US companies whose activity depends largely on semiconductors made in Asia They have breathed relieved after knowing the exemption from which the chips benefit. However, joy must last little. And just a few hours ago President Donald Trump has confirmed That during the week we have just started, it will announce the tariff rate with which it will finally tax the imported integrated circuits.

He has also anticipated that some companies in the semiconductor industry will have some flexibility, although they have not specified those companies or to what extent they can continue to import integrated circuits by avoiding tariffs. We will have to wait a little longer to have this information. As it is, it is evident that the government strategy led by Donald Trump pursues Reorganize the global chips industry To ensure that the US does not need to import any integrated circuit of critical value, such as those used by their companies to train models of artificial intelligence (AI) or develop advanced armament.

The challenge that the US administration has ahead is that the relocation of an important part of the chips production infrastructure and the reorganization of supply chains cannot be carried out in a short time. This is the authentic reason why the Government has been forced to release the critical components needed by their tariff companies. All this does not respond to any elucubration. Trump has expressed it With total clarity a few hours ago.

“We wanted to simplify it for many other companies because we want The entire supply chain of electronics in the next tariff investigations for the good of national security “, Donald Trump has sentenced. Thus paints the panorama. In a period not exceeding two months, the US will definitely announce to which tariffs both semiconductors and other critical technological products from China will be subjected. We will keep the expectation until then.

More information | Reuters

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