US government could demand equity stakes in TSMC, SK hynix, Samsung, just as it has with Intel

The US government is looking into taking equity stakes in other big tech companies that receive CHIPS Act funding in order to strengthen next-gen semiconductors made on American soil, and it could include TSMC, Samsung, Micron, SK hynix, and more.

In a new report from Reuters and two of its sources, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is looking into the federal government taking equity stakes in other companies, after its recent 10% stake in Intel under the Trump administration. Lutnick is reportedly looking at how the US government can take equity stakes in exchange for CHIPS Act funding for companies including TSMC, Micron, and Samsung.

Lutnick has said that the US government doesn't want to tell Intel how to run its vast operations, while White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday that Lutnick was working on a deal for the US government to take a 10% stake in Intel. Leavitt told reporters: "The president wants to put America's needs first, both from a national security and economic perspective, and it's a creative idea that has never been done before".

The Commerce Department oversees $52.7 billion in funding, with the act providing funding for research and grants for building chip-making plants in the US. The US Commerce Department shelled out subsidies of $4.75 billion to Samsung, $6.2 billion to Micron, and $6.6 billion to TSMC to produce semiconductors on American soil.

Apple has recently announced at the White House with President Trump another $100 billion into US manufacturing, totalling $600 billion for its American manufacturing operations, with Apple Silicon chips made in the USA.