Adjusting Imports of Semiconductors, Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment, and Their Derivative Products Into the United States

What it is

This is a presidential proclamation issued January 14, 2026, under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, which allows the President to restrict imports that threaten national security. It declares that imported semiconductors, semiconductor manufacturing equipment, and products containing those chips pose a national security risk because the U.S. produces only about 10 percent of the chips it uses domestically. It directs two parallel responses: immediate targeted tariffs and trade negotiations with foreign countries.

What it changes

Starting January 15, 2026, a 25 percent tariff applies to a specific, narrow category of advanced computing chips and certain products that contain them, on top of any existing duties. That tariff does not apply when the chips are imported for use in U.S. data centers, for research and development, by startups, for consumer or industrial applications outside data centers, for government/public sector use, for repairs, or for other uses the Commerce Secretary determines help build U.S. domestic capacity. The Secretary of Commerce and U.S. Trade Representative must report back within 90 days on the status of trade negotiations with foreign governments, and by July 1, 2026, the Secretary must assess the data-center chip market so the President can decide whether to adjust the tariff. If negotiations do not produce an agreement within 180 days, the President may impose broader, higher tariffs on semiconductors and semiconductor manufacturing equipment across the board, potentially accompanied by a tariff-offset program rewarding companies that invest in U.S. chip production.

Who is affected

Companies that import the specific covered advanced computing chips for resale or for incorporation into products sold abroad—without a qualifying domestic-use purpose—will pay the additional 25 percent duty immediately. Importers bringing those same chips in for U.S. data centers, consumer devices, industrial equipment, research, or government projects are exempt, so domestic cloud providers, hardware manufacturers, and research institutions are largely shielded for now. Foreign chip makers and governments are put on notice that broader tariffs on the wider semiconductor and equipment market are under active consideration pending the outcome of trade negotiations.