Trump considers imposing tariffs on laptops, servers and gaming products

The Trump administration is considering imposing new tariffs on chips, against the backdrop of the race by tech giants to bypass China in building infrastructure for artificial intelligence. The tariffs are expected to also apply to a wider range of technological products that use chips - including laptops, servers for data centers, and gaming equipment - eight people familiar with the matter told Politico.

According to CNBC, the measures are still in the early stages and are expected to undergo significant changes over the coming months. According to the report, they will be implemented gradually and in several stages. The White House did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment, but told Politico:

"Returning semiconductor manufacturing to the USA is a top priority for President Trump, whose policies have already secured investments of hundreds of billions of dollars in this key sector."

Existing tariffs on semiconductors from China were imposed during the administration of former US President Joe Biden. Trump said last year that he intended to announce new tariffs on semiconductors and chips, but the measures were not implemented. The President also said at the time that he intended to impose tariffs of "about 100%" on semiconductors and chips, but companies building production facilities in the USA would not be subject to these tariffs. In January, the Trump administration imposed a 25% tariff on certain artificial intelligence chips.

The tariff on chips is part of a broader tariff policy of the Trump administration, which has expanded in recent months to a variety of areas. The USA already imposes tariffs of 50% on steel and aluminum, 50% on copper and certain copper products, and 25% on vehicles, as part of measures designed to protect American industry for national security reasons. At the same time, the administration continues to apply targeted tariffs on imports from various countries, alongside additional tariffs on specific products and sectors.

In the chip sector, the existing 25% tariff imposed in January 2026 applies at this stage to a narrow category of advanced chips, while the administration continues to examine a significant expansion of the tariffs to the entire industry and products based on chips. According to reports, Chinese companies have managed to gain access to Nvidia chips, despite the heavy export restrictions imposed by the USA. Sources following the industry say that access to advanced computing power through cloud providers outside of China is a key factor in the ability of Chinese artificial intelligence models to improve and achieve more advanced capabilities. In the USA, there are discussions about legislation designed to close this loophole, but there are still obstacles to the legislation having an actual impact, experts previously told CNBC.