U.S. announces probe into chip, electronics imports, paving the way for new tariffs

The U.S. Commerce Department is conducting a national security investigation into imports of semiconductor technology and related downstream products, according to a Federal Register notice put online Monday. The official document — which calls for public comments on the investigation — further confirms that chips and the electronics supply chain will not be excluded from U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff plans despite his statement on Friday that many of those products were exempt from his "reciprocal tariffs." As part of the probe, the Commerce Department will investigate the "feasibility of increasing domestic semiconductors capacity" in order to reduce reliance on imports and whether additional trade measures, including tariffs, are "necessary to protect national security." The investigation encompasses a wide range of items, including chip components such as silicon wafers, chipmaking equipment, and "downstream products that contain semiconductors." Semiconductors play a ro ... Read full article.