Trump's administration considering new tariffs on gaming, laptop & data center hardware

Sources familiar claim the discussion has alarmed US tech companies that are already struggling to maintain component supplies.

Several anonymous sources have confirmed that Donald Trump’s administration is considering new tariffs on semiconductors and components of gaming, laptop, and data center hardware despite concern and warning from US tech industry advocates that this would make an already difficult market supply even harder to maintain and damage the US on the global competitive market.

Reports of Trump’s administration and the new tariff talks were reported via Politico, who spoke to several anonymous sources familiar with the discussions. According to the report, one approach to the new tariffs would expand the number of products subject to duties past chips to the goods that are made with them, including gaming hardware, laptops, and data center server racks.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick reportedly claimed one goal is to tie foreign companies' relief from tariffs into US chip manufacturing investment. However, while US tech company advocates have said they’re in favor to increasing chip manufacturing in the United States, they’ve also said US production capacity is not nearly high enough to meet current tech demands. As such, they must still rely on chips from Malaysia, South Korea, and Taiwan, which are currently producing around 90 percent of the world’s semiconductors, and as such, American companies would be hit by the raised costs from new duties.

It was back in March 2026 that the US Supreme Court deemed the Trump admin’s previous tariffs as unlawful, opening the company up to lawsuits from companies like Nintendo that sought relief from the costs when the tariffs were in place and active. As we continue to follow this story for updates and news, stay tuned to the tariffs topic.

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