Politico reports tech companies are lobbying the Trump administration to narrow
proposed semiconductor tariffs, seeking a scope closer to an earlier plan that
granted broad exemptions for data centers and other domestic uses. Lobbyists
warn the tariffs would make it harder for US firms to secure the chip volumes
needed for AI, slowing data-center expansion. US tech giants are investing
record sums in AI, committing hundreds of billions to hyperscale data-center
campuses and buying expensive advanced chips. An official at a large tech
industry association who served in Trump’s first administration called the
proposal “possibly the dumbest way I can think of to pursue US AI dominance,”
saying it would be like hobbling yourself at the starting line.
