US weighs second round of chip tariffs (August 27, 2026) — servers and laptops in, data center exemption out
The Trump administration is considering a second round of semiconductor tariffs that would extend beyond chips to the finished products containing them — data center servers, laptops and game consoles — Politico reported on August 27, 2026 US time. Also under consideration is removing the data center exemption granted when the United States imposed a 25 percent duty on advanced computing chips on January 14, 2026 under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. The framework favored by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick would let each company import a set volume duty-free, with the size of that allowance tied to how much manufacturing capacity it commits to building in the United States. Samsung Electronics fell 3.38 percent and SK Hynix 4.45 percent on the news
The three lines
- Scope — Not just chips but servers, laptops and game consoles. January's data center exemption would go
- Structure — Duty-free import volume tied to a company's US fabrication investment, the Lutnick framework
- Impact — Samsung Electronics minus 3.38 percent, SK Hynix minus 4.45 percent, KOSPI minus 1.79 percent
Key questions
- What is the second round of US chip tariffs?
- **An extension of tariffs from chips themselves to the finished goods that contain them.** Politico reported it on August 27, 2026 US time and CNBC and others followed. The products named are **data center servers, laptops and game consoles**. The more consequential change is on the exemption side. On **January 14, 2026** the United States imposed a **25 percent** duty on advanced computing chips under **Section 232** of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962, while **exempting data center, R&D, repair and several other uses**. The second round is reported to **remove the data center exemption**. Nothing is settled: the reporting itself notes the measures are at an **early stage and subject to significant change over the next few months**, with a staggered rollout rather than a single effective date.
- What does tying exemptions to investment mean?
- **The volume a company can import duty-free would depend on how much it builds inside the United States.** This is the approach reported to be favored by Commerce Secretary **Howard Lutnick**. Each company would be allowed to bring in **a set quantity of semiconductors with no duty**, and the size of that quota would be **linked to the manufacturing capacity it commits to building domestically**. The tariff becomes less a revenue tool than a construction incentive — not "pay this" but "build here if you want to avoid it." Korean firms are already moving in that direction. SK Hynix has committed **more than 4 billion dollars** to advanced packaging and R&D facilities in Indiana and plans to **begin mass-producing HBM in the United States in the second half of 2029**. Asked about US pressure to add front-end fab capacity, the company said it is "reviewing anywhere in the world that offers customers and new business opportunities."
- How badly does this hit Korean companies?
- **The equity reaction came in a day; the cost impact cannot yet be calculated.** On August 28 in Seoul, **Samsung Electronics fell 3.38 percent to 257,000 won** and **SK Hynix 4.45 percent to 1,653,000 won**, and the **KOSPI dropped 1.79 percent**. Foreign investors sold a net **1.76 trillion won**. But the actual burden cannot be quantified, because **the rate, the product list and the exemption terms are all undecided**. There is also a force pushing the other way. The US technology industry has begun lobbying against the measure, arguing it would **obstruct America's own AI data center buildout** — if servers carry a duty, US companies pay more to build the data centers the country's AI strategy depends on.
The United States is considering extending semiconductor tariffs to finished goods.
Politico reported it on August 27 US time; CNBC and others followed.
The products named are data center servers, laptops and game consoles — not chips, but the things chips go into.
1. Round one versus round two
The US already taxes imported chips. This would sit on top of that.
| Round one (in force) | Round two (under review) | |
|---|---|---|
| Effective | January 14, 2026 | Undecided; phased rollout discussed |
| Authority | Section 232 | Section 232 |
| Rate | 25% on advanced computing chips | Undecided |
| Scope | Chips, equipment, derivatives | + servers, laptops, game consoles |
| Data centers | Exempt | Exemption to be scrapped |
Section 232 is explained separately in "What Section 232 tariffs are."
The exemption matters more than the rate. January's measure carved out data center chips — which is where AI server volume sits. Removing that carve-out widens the effective scope by a step.
2. The plan includes a way to avoid it
The distinctive feature of this framework, reported to be favored by Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, is the linkage.
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1 | Each company gets a duty-free import quota |
| 2 | The quota size is tied to its US manufacturing investment |
| 3 | Build more in the United States, import more duty-free |
The tariff is designed less as revenue than as an investment lever.
3. Korean firms are already building
SK Hynix moved ahead of the policy.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Location | Indiana, United States |
| Size | More than 4 billion dollars |
| Content | Advanced packaging facility plus R&D infrastructure |
| Production | HBM mass production from the second half of 2029 |
On US pressure to add front-end fab capacity, the company said it is "reviewing anywhere in the world that offers customers and new business opportunities" — neither yes nor no.
The US commerce secretary was reported to have said at a Micron groundbreaking last month that he wants Samsung and SK Hynix to expand memory production capacity inside the United States.
4. Market reaction
| Stock / index | August 28 |
|---|---|
| Samsung Electronics | −3.38% (257,000 won) |
| SK Hynix | −4.45% (1,653,000 won) |
| KOSPI | −1.79% (6,788.88) |
| Foreign net selling | 1.76 trillion won |
Thursday's Nvidia-driven gains were erased in a session. The full picture of that day is in "KOSPI closes at 6,788.88 on August 28, 2026."
5. The opposition is American
The loudest objection to this tariff is not coming from Seoul or Taipei. It is coming from US technology companies.
The logic is direct: if servers carry a duty, it costs American companies more to build data centers in America. That collides head-on with the stated goal of winning the AI race.
| Side | Argument |
|---|---|
| Administration | Bring the semiconductor supply chain back inside US borders |
| Industry | The AI buildout stalls. We cannot source the volume we need |
Tom's Hardware summarized the plan as scrapping January's data center carve-outs, and industry lobbying to soften it has reportedly begun.
The most important fact about this story is that nothing is settled. The reporting itself notes the measures are early-stage and could change substantially over the coming months.
6. Related coverage
- "What Section 232 tariffs are" — the legal basis
- "What AI chip export controls are" — the pre-tariff instrument
- "What retaliatory tariffs are" — what happens when the other side responds
- "What the data center power crunch is" — the other cost pressure on servers
7. What was not confirmed
- Source — the Politico report was not read directly.
- Terms — rate, product list and timing are all unsettled.
- Exemption — whether its removal is decided or optional differs across outlets.
- Formula — the link between quota and investment has not been published.
- Samsung — its US investment plans rest on reporting citing the commerce secretary.
Sources
- CNBC — U.S. considers fresh round of tariffs on semiconductors, report says
- Tom's Hardware — Trump administration weighs expanding chip tariffs to laptops, consoles, and servers
- KPMG TaxNewsFlash — United States imposes tariff on advanced computing chips (January 2026)
- The Korea Economic Daily — To avoid tariffs, build more US fabs: pressure grows on Samsung and SK Hynix
- Money Today — SK Hynix to mass-produce US-made HBM in 2029
- inews24 — SK Hynix reviewing front-end investment in the US after packaging; chip tariffs a variable
- Benzinga — Trump weighs semiconductor tariffs on laptops, servers, and more