Washington has put Samsung and SK hynix on notice: build chip plants in the United States or pay tariffs to reach its market. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, in interviews this week with Bloomberg TV and CNBC, described the coming semiconductor tariffs as targeted and carefully designed, with relief tied to how much a company invests in US production.
Lutnick pointed to TSMC’s $265B and Micron’s $250B US commitments, saying the two alone exceed $500B, and repeated his goal of lifting America’s share of chipmaking from roughly 1 percent toward 50 percent. He suggested duties would follow the template applied to pharmaceuticals, where building locally earns an exemption during construction and defers penalties.
South Korea’s presidential office said September 3 it would monitor the situation and consult with Washington to shield its companies. Samsung runs two Austin fabs and is completing its Taylor plant, while SK hynix is building an HBM packaging site in Indiana, but neither has announced a new US front-end fab since the administration took office.
US media reports say tariff coverage could extend beyond chips to finished goods such as laptops, game consoles, and data center servers, with rates varying by country and company. Taiwan, whose makers already receive duty-free import quotas tied to construction, may pledge another $20B to $30B of US investment as soon as next week.
