"Too Big to Fail": U.S. Exempts Major Tech Companies From Tariffs on Taiwanese Chip Imports

In February 2026, it became known about the Trump administration's plans to exempt American tech companies, such as Amazon, Google, and Microsoft, from tariffs on the import of TSMC semiconductors.

This move is related to the Taiwanese company's investment commitments of over $165 billion as part of a new trade agreement between the US and Taiwan.

This exemption is intended to support chip production in the US and at the same time allow large tech companies to seamlessly expand data centers for artificial intelligence without losing access to Taiwanese suppliers.

The geo-economic significance of this decision lies in changing the logic of dependencies, as Washington gradually moves away from Taiwan’s “silicon shield” model, which supplied American companies with semiconductors and chips.