By Mike Stone, Fanny Potkin and Wen-Yee Lee
WASHINGTON/SINGAPORE/TAIPEI (Reuters) -The White House is seeking to renegotiate U.S. CHIPS and Science Act awards and has signaled delays to some upcoming semiconductor disbursements, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
The people, along with a third source, said the new administration is reviewing the projects awarded under the 2022 law, meant to boost American domestic semiconductor output with $39 billion in subsidies.
Washington plans to renegotiate some of the deals after assessing and changing current requirements, according to the sources. The extent of the possible changes, and how they would affect agreements already finalized, was not immediately clear. It was not known whether any action has yet been taken.
“The CHIPS Program Office has told us that certain conditions that do not align with President (Donald) Trump's executive orders and policies are now under review for all CHIPS Direct Funding Agreements,” GlobalWafers spokesperson Leah Peng said in a statement to Reuters.
Taiwan's GlobalWafers, which said it has not been notified directly by Washington of any changes to the conditions or terms of their awards, is set to receive $406 million in U.S. government grants for projects in Texas and Missouri. The company is currently set to receive subsidies only after it achieves specific milestones later in 2025.
Each award recipient has distinct terms and milestones in their agreements.
Four sources with knowledge of the discussions told Reuters that the White House is concerned about many of the terms underpinning the $39 billion Chips and Science Act industry subsidies.
Those encompass additional clauses, including requirements added into contracts by the administration of President Joe Biden, including that recipients must use unionized labor to build factories and help provide affordable childcare for factory workers.
The White House and the U.S. Department of Commerce did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Semiconductor Industry Association, a trade group representing the chip industry, has started asking members how the program could be improved.
But David Isaacs, vice president of government affairs for the group, said: "It’s important both the manufacturing incentives and research programs proceed without disruption, and we stand ready to work with Commerce Secretary Nominee (Howard) Lutnick and other members of the Trump administration to streamline the program’s requirements and achieve our shared goal of strengthening U.S. leadership in chip technology.”