Trump is weighing broader chip tariffs that would cover laptops and servers

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The measures are still in early stages and would be rolled out gradually, according to Politico

Mandel Ngan / AFP via Getty Images

The Trump administration is considering new tariffs on semiconductors that would extend to laptops, data center servers, and gaming hardware, according to CNBC.

According to a Politico report drawing on eight sources with knowledge of the discussions, the plans remain preliminary and fluid, with any eventual tariffs expected to be phased in over time rather than applied all at once.

In a statement to Politico, the White House said that bringing semiconductor production back to the United States ranks among President Donald Trump's foremost goals, and that his administration's efforts have "already secured hundreds of billions of dollars of investments in this key sector."

Tariffs on Chinese semiconductors that are currently in place date back to the Biden era. In January, the Trump administration imposed a 25% tariff on certain AI chips. Trump had also floated the idea of roughly 100% tariffs on semiconductors and chips during the previous year, while promising exemptions for companies that manufacture on U.S. soil — a proposal that never came to fruition.

Chinese companies have managed to obtain Nvidia $NVDA chips even with U.S. export controls in place. Analysts point to the role of foreign cloud services in giving Chinese AI developers a path to high-end processing power. Congressional efforts to close that gap are ongoing, though CNBC has reported that experts see significant obstacles to any fix taking hold soon.

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