The report says that the Trump administration is weighing up a new round of “sweeping tariffs on semiconductors”.
Adding that up for consideration is an approach to expand the number of tech products that will be subject to duties, thus hitting hard at chips and even servers that fill data centers
In that regard, it’s arguably going to be a big blow to AI development and progress in the US. According to the sources, US commerce secretary Lutnick is wanting to favour a system in which foreign companies may be able to seek relief from said duties depending on their involvement and investment in helping to bolster domestic chip manufacturing production in the US. The sources also claim that the administration is starting to mull a phase-in period on introducing the new tariffs, with the framework still possibly to undergo some revisions in the coming weeks/months.
The full report can be found here (may be gated). Well, this one again puts the focus back on semiconductors and will amplify the warning from Nvidia with their earnings call yesterday. As highlighted earlier: “For now though, the message is that the AI boom is continuing to expand more broadly.