Trump's Tariff Habit Might Torch His Own AI Boom
Politico reports the Trump administration is quietly weighing tariffs on semiconductors, the exact chips powering the AI data center boom Trump has vowed to protect. The plan, championed by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, would let companies dodge tariffs by investing in US chip manufacturing, but experts say building domestic foundry capacity could take years or decades. Until then, America still leans hard on TSMC, which controls 73% of global foundry supply, meaning tariffs could spike prices on everything from data centers to laptops.
Why it matters
If tariffs land before US chip factories are ready, expect pricier laptops, slower data center buildouts, and awkward headlines about Trump's AI dominance plan tripping over his own trade war. TSMC and Nvidia both sit in the blast radius.