Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
US Tariffs May Cost Chip Equipment Makers More Than $1 Billion, Industry Estimates
Reuters logo
By Reuters
Published 2 months ago on
April 15, 2025

A view of a machine in a production line of Dutch semiconductor company Nexperia, in Hamburg, Germany, June 27, 2024. (REUTERS File)

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

U.S. President Donald Trump’s new tariffs could cost U.S. semiconductor equipment makers more than $1 billion a year, according to industry calculations discussed with officials and lawmakers in Washington last week, two sources familiar with the matter said.

Each of the three largest U.S. chip equipment makers – Applied Materials, Lam Research and KLA – may suffer a loss of roughly $350 million over a year related to the tariffs, the sources said. Smaller rivals such as Onto Innovation may also face tens of millions of dollars in extra spending.

The potential billion-dollar cost to the chip equipment industry and talks between industry executives and U.S. officials over several days about those costs are reported here for the first time.

The companies build some of the world’s most highly sought-after chipmaking equipment that can require thousands of specialized parts.

Chip Equipment Makers Lose Billions in Revenue

Chip equipment makers have already lost billions in revenue after former U.S. President Joe Biden implemented a series of export controls aimed at curbing the shipment of advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment to Chinese entities.

The Trump administration has largely paused the reciprocal tariffs it announced in April. But to spur more U.S. manufacturing, it is weighing further duties on the chip industry and initiated a probe into their imports on Monday.

The estimated costs discussed last week in Washington include lost revenue, primarily for missed sales of less sophisticated equipment to overseas rivals, and the costs of finding and using alternative suppliers for the complex components of chipmaking tools. The estimate also includes tariff compliance costs, such as adding personnel to handle the complexities of following the rules.

Lawmakers and administration officials discussed the tariff costs with chip industry executives and officials from SEMI, an international trade group, as part of an ongoing dialogue.

Applied did not respond to a request for comment. KLA and Lam declined to comment.

The early, rough estimate of $350 million per company could change as the Trump administration’s duties take effect. Quick calculations are hard to make because each chipmaking tool has multiple components, and the ultimate tariff regime is unclear.

The Biden administration cracked down on China’s chip industry over three years to hobble its ability to produce cutting-edge chips used in artificial intelligence, military applications or other ways that could threaten U.S. national security.

The U.S. export controls have spurred China to invest in its domestic chip equipment industry.

(Reporting by Max A. Cherney in Toronto; editing by Peter Henderson and Richard Chang)

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

Bay Area Transit Systems Want More Money. But Their Payrolls Soared as Ridership Declined

DON'T MISS

Trump to Decide on US Action in Israel-Iran Conflict Within 2 Weeks, White House Says

DON'T MISS

Tulare County Farmers Cry Foul Over Proposed Groundwater Fees

DON'T MISS

Canseco, Cheechoo to Sign Autographs When Chukchansi Cuts Ribbon on Top Golf

DON'T MISS

California Man Accused of Planting Cameras in Children’s Dance Studio Bathroom

DON'T MISS

Whatever Happened to the New Northwest Fresno Costco?

DON'T MISS

Iran Held Direct Talks With US Amid Intensifying Conflict With Israel, Diplomats Say

DON'T MISS

Oil Prices Jump as Israel-Iran Conflict Enters Seventh Day

DON'T MISS

Three New Judges Appointed in the Valley. Who Are They?

DON'T MISS

As Death Toll Rises, Gazans Make Life-Risking Journeys to Seek Food

UP NEXT

Trump to Decide on US Action in Israel-Iran Conflict Within 2 Weeks, White House Says

UP NEXT

Tulare County Farmers Cry Foul Over Proposed Groundwater Fees

UP NEXT

Canseco, Cheechoo to Sign Autographs When Chukchansi Cuts Ribbon on Top Golf

UP NEXT

California Man Accused of Planting Cameras in Children’s Dance Studio Bathroom

UP NEXT

Whatever Happened to the New Northwest Fresno Costco?

UP NEXT

Iran Held Direct Talks With US Amid Intensifying Conflict With Israel, Diplomats Say

UP NEXT

Oil Prices Jump as Israel-Iran Conflict Enters Seventh Day

UP NEXT

Three New Judges Appointed in the Valley. Who Are They?

UP NEXT

As Death Toll Rises, Gazans Make Life-Risking Journeys to Seek Food

UP NEXT

EU Increasingly Resigned to 10% Baseline Tariff in US Trade Talks, European Sources Say

Fresno Police Seek Help Identifying 7-Eleven Robbery Suspects

6 hours ago

Fresno Council Scraps Cannabis Advisory Group, Extends Advance Peace Funding

6 hours ago

Buss Family to Sell Lakers at $10 Billion Valuation, ESPN Says

6 hours ago

Massive Security Breach: 16 Billion Passwords Leaked From Apple, Google, Facebook Accounts

7 hours ago

‘I’m an American, Bro!’: Latinos Report Raids in Which US Citizenship Is Questioned

7 hours ago

Florida Congresswoman to Revive Bipartisan Immigration Bill. Valley Leaders Join the Push

8 hours ago

LA Dodgers Say They Denied ICE Agents Access to Stadium Parking Lot

8 hours ago

Netanyahu Says Fall of Iran’s Leadership Not a Goal but Could Be a Result

8 hours ago

Hunger Strike Begins as California Prisons Hand Down Biggest Restrictions Since COVID

9 hours ago

Sen. Alex Padilla: This Is How an Administration Acts When It’s Afraid

9 hours ago

Muslim NY Mayoral Candidate Reports Threats, Jewish Ohio Lawmaker Threatened Separately

WASHINGTON – The New York City Police Department said on Thursday its hate crime unit was probing anti-Muslim threats against mayoral ...

5 hours ago

Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani talks to people after the New York City Democratic Mayoral Primary Debate at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in the Gerald W. Lynch Theater in New York City., U.S., June 12, 2025. (Reuters File)
5 hours ago

Muslim NY Mayoral Candidate Reports Threats, Jewish Ohio Lawmaker Threatened Separately

5 hours ago

It’s Final. No Live Horse Racing at Big Fresno Fair in 2025

5 hours ago

Clover Is Eager to Bring You Good Luck and Great Joy

Fresno police are seeking the public’s help to identify two suspects involved in a May 31, 2025, robbery at a 7-Eleven on East McKinley Avenue. (Fresno PD)
6 hours ago

Fresno Police Seek Help Identifying 7-Eleven Robbery Suspects

6 hours ago

Fresno Council Scraps Cannabis Advisory Group, Extends Advance Peace Funding

6 hours ago

Buss Family to Sell Lakers at $10 Billion Valuation, ESPN Says

7 hours ago

Massive Security Breach: 16 Billion Passwords Leaked From Apple, Google, Facebook Accounts

7 hours ago

‘I’m an American, Bro!’: Latinos Report Raids in Which US Citizenship Is Questioned

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend