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U.S. Threatens 100% Tariff on Imported Chips, Impacting Tech Giants
7 Aug
Summary
- U.S. to impose 100% tariff on chips not produced in the U.S.
- SK Hynix, a major chip supplier to Nvidia, sees shares drop 3.1%
- South Korea's trade envoy says SK Hynix and Samsung won't be subject to 100% tariff

On August 6, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the United States will impose a tariff of about 100% on semiconductors imported from countries not producing chips in the U.S. or planning to do so. This news had an immediate impact on the global tech industry, with shares of South Korean chipmaker SK Hynix falling 3.1% in early trading on August 7, 2025.
SK Hynix is a major supplier of high-bandwidth memory chips used in Nvidia's artificial intelligence chipsets. The potential 100% tariff on imported chips posed a significant threat to the company's business. However, South Korea's trade envoy stated on August 7, 2025, that SK Hynix and its rival Samsung Electronics would not be subject to the 100% U.S. tariff on chips.
The U.S. move is part of the ongoing trade tensions between the country and its trading partners. The tariff would not apply to companies that had made a commitment to manufacture chips in the U.S. or were in the process of doing so. This suggests the Trump administration is aiming to incentivize domestic chip production and reduce the country's reliance on imported semiconductors.