Shake up among the semiconductor giants! The return of Donald Trump to the White House rekindles the concerns of industrialists who fear a possible decline in financial support and tax advantages provided for by the “CHIPS Act”. This program aims to stimulate industrial growth in Uncle Sam by providing subsidies to companies that invest in semiconductor manufacturing plants. However, the President-elect of the United States recently criticized this CHIPS Act, which he considers to be bad.
« It is very likely that investment requirements for allies will be tightened» predicts Seok-Jun Kwon, professor of chemical engineering at Sungkyunkwan University. “Particularly for semiconductor companies in Korea, Taiwan, Japan and Europe, a policy could emerge that imposes sanctions for non-investment, instead of offering incentives“, he added.
Obtain subsidies to invest in the United States
Before the ax falls, the giants TSMC and GlobalFoundries accelerated the signing of a final contract. This haste is obviously explained by fears that subsidies allocated to the semiconductor industry will be reduced under the Trump administration, starting next year.
Citing sources, Bloomberg reports that “the amount requested by TSMC and GlobalFoundries during final negotiations remains almost identical to that discussed during preliminary talks.» As a reminder, the US Department of Commerce had committed to granting $6.6 billion in grants and $5 billion in loans to TSMC, while GlobalFoundries was to receive $1.5 billion in grants and $1.6 billion in loans. billion dollars in loans.
Separately, Reuters reports that TSMC has taken steps to reassure the US government, declaring in a statement that “its investment plans in the United States remain unchanged“. A clear effort to strengthen the confidence of the new American administration.
