Trump threatens high chip tariffs - concern in Saxony

100 percent tariffs on semiconductors soon?

Frank Bösenberg, Managing Director of the microchip network Silicon Saxony, pointed out that Trump's words are only an announcement so far - details are not known. Nevertheless, the announcement speaks for a change of course in industrial policy. "It clearly shows the importance of the chip industry and the USA's efforts to relocate production to American soil wherever possible."

This also has potentially far-reaching consequences for the European semiconductor industry, "especially for regions such as Saxony, which is considered a key region in the European chip ecosystem." The extent to which local companies are dependent on the US market cannot be precisely quantified. "But the industry is highly interconnected worldwide," says Bösenberg. Almost all producers deliver globally - including to the USA.

The USA was once again Saxony's second most important export market last year. Exports to the United States rose by ten percent to almost 5.1 billion euros. The most important products shipped from Saxony to the USA were primarily cars and vehicle parts, machinery and equipment as well as so-called electrotechnical products - including semiconductors. According to the Ministry of Economic Affairs, electronic components worth 69 million euros were exported from Saxony to the USA last year.

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