Semicon Briefing

The Trump administration is considering expanding existing chip tariffs to laptops, gaming consoles, and servers – tax exemptions for data centers from January could be eliminated. The AI industry warns this is 'the dumbest possible way' to tax chips, as record-level ongoing US fab investments would be jeopardized.

Semiconductor tariffs Phase 2 collide with the CHIPS Act tax credit deadline of December 31, 2026, creating a regulatory double-bind effect: investments in US fabs are simultaneously taxed and subsidized. The uncertainty is freezing industry investment decisions.

The EU action plan 'AI Continent' with 19 AI factories and up to seven AI gigafactories threatens to fail due to Europe's weak semiconductor self-supply – advanced AI processors come almost exclusively from Asia. The EU plans to triple data center capacity within 5-7 years without owning the necessary chip production base.

Nvidia has acquired MediaTek convertible bonds worth $3.5 billion, significantly deepening the strategic partnership in AI infrastructure. The deal signals Nvidia's interest in a broader chip ecosystem beyond its own GPU production.

Canada and Japan have jointly supported a quantum semiconductor partnership between Xanadu and Mitsubishi Chemical with government funding – observers view it as more than pure research. Quantum technology could thereby become part of an industrial semiconductor roadmap for both countries for the first time.

Navitas Semiconductor has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Claros, a developer of vertical power delivery (VPD) technology for AI data centers. The deal strengthens Navitas' position in the booming AI infrastructure market and supplements its GaN/SiC portfolio with critical voltage regulator IP.