The semiconductor industry is experiencing rapid changes, ranging from the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) to the growing use of tariffs. The relentless march of artificial intelligence dominates headlines, powered by increasingly sophisticated silicon brains. In this narrative, chip designer Nvidia and manufacturer Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) have emerged as the undisputed leaders, seemingly leaving legacy giant Intel struggling to keep pace.
Has any US president’s term in office in a century started as badly from a stock market perspective as Donald Trump’s term from January 20 to April 8, 2025? This has caused significant harm to investors. What makes it special is that the market turmoil can be attributed to the actions of President Donald Trump and his administration. There are also export restrictions. Technology giant Nvidia faces billions in losses due to Trump restrictions. Donald Trump’s administration has restricted the technology company’s exports of artificial intelligence chips to China. Semiconductors are at the heart of nearly all modern technology. The global race to secure component availability has been intensifying as demand for these essential parts grows.
Trump’s tariff mix is causing problems for the semiconductor industry as latest tariff plans could cause significant disruption to the global semiconductor supply chain. The Trump administration aims to boost domestic production, but the measures also threaten to raise production costs and make it more difficult to obtain components. Taiwan’s TSMC, which supplies 90 percent of the world’s advanced semiconductors, could face difficulties, which will affect American technology companies such as Apple, Nvidia and AMD.
April 7th, 2025, is now being dubbed “Orange Monday,” and it’s left global markets charred and investors crying into their diversified portfolios. Trump chip tariff threat throws wrench into global supply network. The Trump administration’s steps toward extending its tariffs to the semiconductor industry threaten many business. The strategy by Apple to diversify its manufacturing from China seemed like a solid strategy, until President Donald Trump’s “reciprocal tariffs” this hit many other countries, too. Trump tariffs threaten Apple’s supply chain, stock suffers steepest drop in 5 years.
Today, many automakers, including original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), contract manufacturers (CMs), and electronic manufacturing service (EMS) providers, face the dual challenge of keeping pace with rapid technological advancements while managing significant geopolitical risks affecting their supply chains. Trump’s planned tariffs on chip imports risk upending a global supply chain and could lead to oversupply as the US and other countries seek domestic production Pentagon leaders are calling for thousands of drones to prepare for war in the Pacific. But as Trump’s tariffs escalate tensions with China, they face an uncomfortable reality: Silicon Valley’s drone companies are addicted to Chinese components.
Trump has repeatedly called out and accused Taiwan of stealing the U.S. chip manufacturing business and touted tariffs on semiconductor imports. Trump wants to see more chip manufacturing to happen in USA. Semiconductors are at the heart of America’s strength, enabling the essential technologies that drive economic growth and national security. Semiconductors are at the heart of America’s strength, enabling the essential technologies that drive economic growth and national security. With demand for semiconductors projected to increase significantly by 2030 and beyond, semiconductor companies are ramping up production and innovation to keep pace. The Future of U.S. Semiconductor manufacturing in 2025 seems to be TSMC’s Expansion and Intel’s delay. Two major players in the industry, TSMC and Intel, stand at opposite ends of the current manufacturing landscape as the United States attempts to boost its domestic chip ecosystem. TSMC’s costly expansion and Intel’s delayed reshoring efforts represent the opposite ends of America’s semiconductor manufacturing efforts.
There are expert views that US chip production targets edge further out of reach under Trump administration because of FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt) on the markets now. The future of the CHIPS and Science Act and its manufacturing funding is increasingly doubtful. Donald Trump was vocal about his criticism of the CHIPS and Science Act that was meant to spur the build-out of a domestic semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem. The CHIPS Act has become a cornerstone of U.S. policy to revitalize domestic semiconductor manufacturing. When it was announced, a flurry of investments from semiconductor manufacturers quickly accumulated to over $400 billion. While its passage and funding allotment did not occur as quickly as initially planned—something noted by many chipmakers over the last few years—it received significant bipartisan support within the U.S. government. The president is beginning to take action against the law to pivot towards tariffs, hoping to entice companies to onshore production in a bid to avoid import tax hikes.
Reuters reports that “some officials have expressed concern Trump could seek to invalidate binding grant agreements struck in the Biden administration.” Some projects are already facing uncertain futures. There is fear that US chip production targets edge further out of reach under Trump administration. Intel’s ambitious $28 billion semiconductor factory in Ohio has experienced significant delays. Originally planned as a cornerstone of Intel’s strategy to restore chip manufacturing to the U.S. and part of the CHIPS and Science Act’s push for government approval, the delay in Ohio raises questions about Intel’s ability to meet its goals for American chip production. The delay also raises questions about the future stability of the semiconductor industry in the U.S. for companies that don’t have the same capital as giants like TSMC.
There are also some agreements that seem to show some wins with the new tariffs politics. Trump announces $100 billion investment in U.S. from TSMC. Also Nvidia aims to spend several hundred billion dollars to procure US-made chips and electronics over the next four years, the Financial Times reported.
TSMC’s New Arizona Fab! Apple Will Finally Make Advanced Chips In The U.S.
While Trump’s tariff policy might boost investments into the U.S. by semiconductor manufacturers looking to avoid added costs, it won’t solve the labor shortage impacting the industry. Solving the problem will require a combined effort from chip manufacturers, education leaders, and government support. Those will be challenges. Semiconductor Industry Association project the semiconductor industry’s workforce will grow by nearly 115,000 jobs by 2030, from approximately 345,000 jobs today to approximately 460,000 jobs by the end of the decade, representing 33% growth. Of these new jobs, we estimate roughly 67,000—or 58% of projected new jobs (and 80% of projected new technical jobs)—risk going unfilled at current degree completion rates. Intel’s Ohio project, touted as one of the most ambitious semiconductor production facilities in the U.S., has faced delays due to logistical challenges, workforce issues, and regulatory hurdles. TSMC also had to delay its Arizona production schedules when it became clear there wasn’t enough specialized labor to operate its new facilities. This situation is not inherently unique to the U.S., as China, the EU, and even chip powerhouse Taiwan face obstacles caused by the labor shortage. To create a strong domestic ecosystem, the U.S. must grow a strong workforce that can run the new facilities.
In addition to chips there is will to have move the whole electronics products back to USA from Asia. Experts doubt Trump line that tariffs will shift manufacturing from Asia. The White House is insisting that Donald Trump’s vision of Apple’s flagship iPhones being manufactured in the US will come to fruition, despite assertions from analysts and the company itself that it would not be possible.. The reason seems to be that the US does not have the workforce of other nations where the vast majority of its electronics are currently manufactured, such as China, which makes about 85% of iPhones, India and Vietnam. The Wall Street Journal reported that, based on conversations with manufacturing experts, making and assembling all the components required to build an iPhone in the US would be impossible. “But shifting some manufacturing here? Not totally insane,” wrote WSJ’s tech team. For propaganda purposes China Creates Mocking AI Video of Average Americans Working in Garment Factory.
Intel 2025: Intel is in problem, and it is expected that it will sell some of it’s parts in 2025. In March Intel Corporation announced that its board of directors has appointed Lip-Bu Tan, an accomplished technology leader with deep semiconductor industry experience, as chief executive officer. The cutting-edge High Numerical Aperture Extreme Ultraviolet (High NA EUV) lithography tools is not expected to be production-ready until 2027 for a later node, designated 14A. It is expected that before that Intel would be forced to rely on existing Low NA EUV technology for 18A, likely employing complex and costly multi-patterning techniques. But new feature in Intel’s 18A is the utilization of BSPDN (Backside Power Delivery) that can give improved power efficiency along with signal integrity. Intel’s 18A is said to report an SRAM density equal to that of TSMC’s N2 process, signaling a massive breakthrough for the IFS and its semiconductor ambitions. Nvidia and Broadcom are running manufacturing tests with Intel, using the company’s most advanced production techniques, known as 18A. AMD is also evaluating whether Intel’s 18A manufacturing process is suitable for it.
TSMC-Intel semiconductor race is pretty much on, and it looks like the competition is going to get a lot more fiercer. Dutch company ASML – the sole global supplier of all EUV lithography machines – High NA EUV represents the next generation of this critical technology. TSMC gained ground by adopting EUV and at the same time, Intel extended the life of older DUV technology with complex multi-patterning, ultimately losing its process leadership.
Intel reported a 2024 net loss of $18.8 billion, its first since 1986, driven by large impairments. Intel was trying to get in on the AI bandwagon and invested a lot in it. It turned out that they have no chance of getting in on the AI bandwagon and ARM chips are still eating their x86 CPU market. This is a big business problem. Intel is expected to sell some of it’s parts. Multiple companies have expressed interest in buying parts of Intel. Intel is likely to be broken up into at least two, possibly even three or more pieces. Who will get Altera in 2025? Was the first question that was answered. Intel’s breakup begins with sale of $8.75B-valued Altera to private equity giant Silver Lake. Then we are waiting for the next move in Intel’s plan to shed non-core assets and reinvent itself. Hell freezes, pigs fly: Rumor has it that Intel could merge with AMD’s former foundry in potential multi-billion deal with GlobalFoundries or Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) and the world’s number two chip design firm Broadcom divide its assets up. We will sew that is happening later this year.
The buildout of AI infrastructure in the US has reached a macro-level scale, and ensuring continuous growth will require ample availability of capital. There is a fear that the economic uncertainty induced by Trump tariffs could become the single largest barrier to American AI supremacy because economic uncertainty often leads to delays, and delays leads to contractions. Fortunately, on a micro level, research indicates that the tariffs will not impact (for the most part) the competitiveness of the United States in AI infrastructure costs but rather through capital accessibility. Let’s wait to see how changing tariffs, loopholes, and global trade for AI-related infrastructure equipment. Cost of capital is rising, with soaring 10 year interest rates, and the tightening of financial conditions could likely lead to a short-term slowdown in the AI infrastructure buildout.. Tariffs can potentially have major short-term impact on US hyperscalers if they affect the key components. At the moment GPU servers are largely exempted from tariffs, but optical module costs will increase by 25-40%. Some manufacturers are significantly better positioned than others. Mexico is already a large assembly hub and will take a central role in this new world order. Datacenter construction costs could increase by mid-to-high single digits – but the TCO impact for GPU cloud operators is likely less than 2%.increase. Retaliatory tariffs targeting US Big Tech are possible.
Sources:
https://futurism.com/elon-musk-trouble-donald-trump-tariffs
https://www.salkunrakentaja.fi/2025/04/trump-tullifarssi-aloitteleva-sijoittaja/
https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/events/orange-monday-2025-stock-market-crash
https://trib.al/3SqaBJz
https://knowyourmeme.com/editorials/guides/why-are-people-calling-today-orange-monday-memes-inspired-by-the-2025-stock-market-crash-explained
https://asia.nikkei.com/Economy/Trade-war/Trump-tariffs/Trump-chip-tariff-threat-throws-wrench-into-global-supply-network
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-03-20/nvidia-will-spend-hundreds-of-billions-on-chips-made-in-us-ft
https://yle.fi/a/74-20156456
https://wccftech.com/intel-18a-process-reportedly-comes-with-sram-density-on-par-with-tsmc-n2/
https://www.semiconductors.org/chipping-away-assessing-and-addressing-the-labor-market-gap-facing-the-u-s-semiconductor-industry/
https://futurism.com/elon-musk-trouble-donald-trump-tariffs
https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/03/tsmc-to-announce-100-billion-investment-in-us-chip-plants.html
https://www.manufacturingdive.com/news/trump-biden-chips-act-future-federal-cuts-layoffs-musk/741052/
https://etn.fi/index.php/opinion/17239-trumpin-tariffisekoilu-aiheuttaa-ongelmia-puolijohdealalla
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/17249-tunnelin-paeaessae-naekyy-jo-valoa
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-03-05/trump-calls-for-end-to-52-billion-chips-act-subsidy-program
https://www.eetimes.com/trumps-revamp-of-chips-act-aims-at-big-investments/
https://www.techradar.com/pro/hell-freezes-pigs-fly-rumor-has-it-that-intel-could-merge-with-amds-former-foundry-in-potential-multi-billion-deal
https://www.techspot.com/news/106408-nvidia-transitions-advanced-cowos-l-chip-packaging-signaling.html
https://wccftech.com/intel-18a-process-reportedly-comes-with-sram-density-on-par-with-tsmc-n2/?fbclid=IwY2xjawIltX9leHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHYvnrhR4eesq60Y5LSNJolLapE3d5cLhC_nGCgoVHz228stCegxQkjiEzw_aem_H4OUKANJtC2QMgoj7aB83A
https://www.theedgesingapore.com/views/tech/intel-nears-end-tsmc-and-broadcom-ready-deals
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https://futurism.com/elon-musk-trouble-donald-trump-tariffs
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https://futurism.com/china-mocking-ai-video-americans-sweatshop
https://futurism.com/trump-iphones-america
https://www.lightreading.com/smartphones-devices/Trump-tariffs-won%27t-bring-iPhone-manufacturing-to-US-shores
https://www.techzine.eu/news/infrastructure/130056/dutch-attempt-to-keep-asml-is-at-a-gridlock/
https://dawn.fi/uutiset/2025/04/04/nintendo-switch-2-ennakkotilaukset-siirretty-trump-tullit
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-03-20/nvidia-will-spend-hundreds-of-billions-on-chips-made-in-us-ft
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHat_LYrpQE
https://newsroom.intel.com/corporate/intel-appoints-lip-bu-tan-chief-executive-officer
https://www.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/exclusivetsmc-pitched-intel-foundry-jv-to-nvidia-amd-and-broadcom-sources-say-3922603
216 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/18254-rakennatko-omaa-pelikonetta-dram-hinnat-ovat-nyt-kovassa-nousussa
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://etn.fi/index.php/opinion/18248-kiina-2-0-pakottaa-yritykset-miettimaeaen-strategioitaan-uusiksi
Tomi Engdahl says:
Osaa teknologiamarkkinasta uhkaa katastrofi – Yksi maailman suurimmista muistivalmistajista lopettaa kuluttajatuotteiden valmistamisen
Justus Vento4.12.202511:15MuistitTietokoneen komponentit
Kuluttajatuotteiden hinnat ovat it-markkinalla nousseet jo valtavasti tekoälybuumin myötä, mutta nyt yksi maailman kolmesta suuresta RAM-valmistajasta lopettaa kuluttajatuotteensa kokonaan. Tällä voi olla suuret seuraukset.
Osaa teknologiamarkkinasta uhkaa katastrofi – Yksi maailman suurimmista muistivalmistajista lopettaa kuluttajatuotteiden valmistamisen | Tivi https://share.google/sr4wOniQEJrtjmZLR
Yksi maailman kolmesta suurimmasta keskusmuistivalmistajasta, Micron Technology, lopettaa Crucial-brändillä tunnettujen kuluttajatuotteiden myymisen kokonaan helmikuuhun 2026 mennessä. Yhtiö tiedotti aikeistaan eilen keskiviikkona. Yhtiö on tunnettu keskusmuistien lisäksi myös edullisemman hintaluokan SSD-kiintolevyistään, joiden kuluttajamallien valmistus niin ikään loppuu. Yhtiö myi kuluttajatuotteita lähes 30 vuotta.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung halting SATA SSD production says leaker, warns of 18 months of SSD price pressure
https://www.tweaktown.com/news/109337/samsung-halting-sata-ssd-production-says-leaker-warns-of-18-months-of-ssd-price-pressure/index.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.facebook.com/share/17ii2Rht6L/
We are going backwards due to increased RAM prices: 4 GB RAM default in mobile phones and 8 GB default in laptops. SSD prices are likely to go out of control as Samsung halts production. Don’t even ask about gaming console. Thank you sam altman
Tomi Engdahl says:
Teknologian läpimurto tulossa: Maailman pienin siru on pian tuotannossa
Keksintö saattaa muuttaa monia asioita ympärilläsi, sekä sitä, mitä pidät lähelläsi, että sitä, joka on ovesi ulkopuolella.
https://tieku.fi/teknologia/teknologian-lapimurto-tulossa-maailman-pienin-siru-on-pian-tuotannossa
Se on mikroskooppisen pieni ja silti tehokkaampi kuin koskaan ennen.
Niin toteaa maailman suurin siruvalmistaja Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), joka on nyt esitellyt tähän mennessä edistyneimmän mikrosirun.
TSMC:n uusi siru on kahden nanometrin siru, eli sen transistorien koko on 2 nm.
Teknologian sanotaan olevan valmis massatuotantoon Hsinchussa, Taiwanissa vuoden 2025 loppupuolella, TSMC ilmoitti huhtikuun 2025 alussa.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Americanization of Ericsson and Nokia
Ericsson and Nokia are undergoing a process of Americanization in response to Trump’s economic policies and Europe’s unfriendliness.
https://www.lightreading.com/regulatory-politics/the-americanization-of-ericsson-and-nokia
Tomi Engdahl says:
The memory crunch is reshaping PC sales as builders respond to AI-driven demand and record DDR5 price inflation. https://bit.ly/3MYIm0I
Tomi Engdahl says:
Chip’s Challenge
Trump’s Chip Embargo Against China Is Backfiring Spectacularly
Brilliant work, sir.
https://futurism.com/future-society/trump-china-ai-chip-investors
In a probably-predictable twist of geopolitical irony, America’s effort to block China’s access to cutting-edge AI chips hasn’t succeeded in stifling the People’s Republic — but instead forged a more self-reliant alternative to Silicon Valley that has investors jumping ship.
As reported by Reuters, global investors are putting more of their money into Chinese tech companies due to concerns over the size of Wall Street’s AI bubble, which continues to grow unabated.
Though large language models (LLMs) built by Chinese tech firms lag modestly behind the capabilities of those made by US companies, investors aren’t necessarily approaching them as a plan B. As Reuters points out, growing demand for Chinese tech stocks is being fueled by Beijing lawmakers’ drive for tech independence just as much as it is the American AI bubble.
“China’s tech sector ramped up innovation in 2025, with notable advances across the AI value chain,” the report stated. “New Chinese AI models have shown tech leadership, and supportive policy is reinforcing ecosystem resilience.”
“While the US remains the leader in frontier AI, China is rapidly narrowing the gap,” Gemma Cairns-Smith, investment specialist at Ruffer told Reuters. “The moat may not be as wide, or as deep, as many think… The competitive landscape is shifting.”
Notably, the shift in attitude comes after years of anti-China trade policy courtesy of US presidents Joe Biden and Donald Trump. The executive efforts, meant to limit Chinese tech company’s access to AI chips built by Nvidia
Beijing lawmakers soon retaliated by banning top tech companies from importing Nvidia chips, giving a huge boost to Chinese chip makers.
In a further desperate bid to outmaneuver Beijing, Trump quietly reversed the decision on H20 chips in early December, though the damage may already be done. In a technological competition with razor-thin margins, Trump’s maneuvers may be too little and too late to win anxious investors back to Silicon Valley.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Tekoälyn suosion jyrkkä kasvu on alkanut vaikuttaa vakavasti tavallisiin tietokoneen käyttäjiin. DDR5-muistin hintojen nelinkertaistumisen ja SSD-levyjen hintojen kaksinkertaistumisen jälkeen kriisi on vaikuttanut valmiisiin tietokoneisiin: japanilaiset valmiiden tietokoneiden myyjät ovat lopettaneet tilausten vastaanottamisen.
https://woodgrow.fi/2025/12/25/tekoaly-soi-kaikki-osien-varastot-japanilaiset-tietokoneiden-kokoonpanokaupat-eivat-ota-vastaan-uusia-tietokoneiden-tilauksia-vuoteen-2026-asti/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://muropaketti.com/tietotekniikka/tietotekniikkauutiset/pc-harrastajat-keksivat-kiertoreitin-edullisempiin-muisteihin/
3DCenter.orgin markkinaseurantatietojen mukaan DIMM-muistien hinnat ovat nousseet keskimäärin 245 prosenttia, kun taas kannettavien SODIMM-muistien hinnat ovat nousseet maltillisemmin, noin 136 prosenttia.
Adapterit ovat sen verran edullisia, että tällainen SODIMMien ujuttelu pöytätietokoneisiin voi olla kannattavaa. Muutamia asioita kannattaa kuitenkin huomioida.
Kannettavien muistit on suunniteltu energiatehokkuus edellä, eikä niillä saavuteta työpöytämuistien huippunopeuksia.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://muropaketti.com/tietotekniikka/tietotekniikkauutiset/komponenttihuijarit-iskivat-muistimarkkinoille-kauppa-myi-tietamattaan-ddr4-muisteja-ddr5-muisteina/
Komponenttihuijarit iskivät muistimarkkinoille – kauppa myi tietämättään DDR4-muisteja DDR5-tyyppisinä
DDR5-muistien hinnat ovat nousseet rajusti vuoden 2025 loppua kohden. Syynä ovat tekoälyalan toimijat, jotka rohmuavat suurimman osan saatavilla olevasta DRAM-valmistuskapasiteetista datakeskuksien tarpeisiin. Osasyynä ovat myös muistivalmistajat, jotka eivät lisää valmistuskapasiteettia.
Hän luuli tilaavansa Amazonista Corsair Vengeance -merkkisiä DDR5-muisteja, mutta ne osoittautuivat tuntemattomiksi DDR4-muisteiksi. Hän huomasi asian viimeistään, kun hän tajusi etteivät ne sovi fyysisesti emolevyn muistipaikkoihin. Tilanteesta tekee hälyttävän, että kyseessä ei ollut kolmannen osapuolen myyjä vaan Amazon.
Toimitusketjun tai asiakaspalautusprosessin aikana joku epärehellinen henkilö on saanut muistit käsiinsä ja irrottanut niistä jäähdytyslevyt. Sen jälkeen hän on asentanut ne DDR4-muistien päälle ja ottanut DDR5-muistit itselleen myyntitarkoitusta varten.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung to delay its planned DDR4 end-of-life due to signing a long-term ‘non-cancellable, non-returnable’ contract with key customer — agreement will not alleviate consumer shortage, supply earmarked for server clients
News
By Jowi Morales published December 24, 2025
This move will allow Samsung to squeeze more out of its aging DDR4 production line.
https://www.tomshardware.com/pc-components/ddr4/samsung-to-delay-its-planned-ddr4-end-of-life-due-to-signing-a-long-term-non-cancellable-non-returnable-contract-with-key-customer-agreement-will-not-alleviate-consumer-shortage-supply-earmarked-for-server-clients
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sinun on parasta istua alas ennen kuin luet tämän ennusteen muistien hinnoista
https://muropaketti.com/tietotekniikka/tietotekniikkauutiset/nyt-tuli-synkkaakin-synkempi-tieto-muistien-hinnoista/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Jättimäinen muistivalmistaja: Muistien järjetön hintaralli jatkuu läpi vuoden 2026 ja pidemmällekin
https://dawn.fi/uutiset/2025/12/18/muistien-hinnat-pysyvat-korkealla-2026
Tomi Engdahl says:
Tekoäly ”söi” kaikki osien varastot: japanilaiset tietokoneiden kokoonpanokaupat eivät ota vastaan uusia tietokoneiden tilauksia vuoteen 2026 asti
https://woodgrow.fi/2025/12/25/tekoaly-soi-kaikki-osien-varastot-japanilaiset-tietokoneiden-kokoonpanokaupat-eivat-ota-vastaan-uusia-tietokoneiden-tilauksia-vuoteen-2026-asti/