It’s been a tumultuous yr for the U.S. semiconductor business.
The semiconductor business performs a large function within the “AI race” that the U.S. turns out decided to win, which is why this context is price being attentive to: from Intel’s appointment of Lip-Bu Tan to CEO — who wasted no time attending to paintings looking to revitalize the legacy corporate — to Joe Biden proposing sweeping new AI chip export laws on his means out of place of business that by no means got here to fruition.
Right here’s a have a look at what’s took place to this point in 2025.
August
Nvidia reviews document quarter
August 27- The turmoil within the semiconductor marketplace this yr has obviously now not harm Nvidia. On August 27, the corporate reported that it had document gross sales in the second one quarter. The highlights had been the expansion of its knowledge heart trade, which noticed its income develop 56% yr over yr.
U.S. Govt takes fairness stake in Intel
August 22 – The U.S. govt introduced it used to be changing present govt grants into a ten% stake in Intel. The deal used to be structured to penalize Intel if the corporate’s possession in its foundry program dropped underneath 50%.
SoftBank takes a stake in Intel
August 18 – Jap conglomerate SoftBank introduced it used to be taking a $2 billion stake in Intel. SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son known as the deal “strategic.” The transaction used to be introduced as rumors had been swirling that the U.S. used to be going to take a stake within the corporate.
Chip corporations strike a deal to promote in China
August 12 – Nvidia and AMD introduced that they struck a maintain the U.S. govt to achieve the essential license to promote their AI chips in China. Each corporations agreed to pay the U.S. govt 15% of income from their chip gross sales in China.
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Trump and Lip-Bu Tan meet
August 11 – Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan went to the White Space to fulfill with President Donald Trump. The pair mentioned Tan’s previous and the way Intel can lend a hand the U.S. with its purpose of bringing semiconductor production again to the U.S. Each known as the dialog productive.
Trump comes for Lip-Bu Tan
August 7 – President Donald Trump demanded that Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan “renounce straight away” because of “conflicts of hobby” in a Reality Social submit. Whilst Trump didn’t explain what the conflicts of hobby had been, this got here the day after Republican Senator Tom Cotton despatched a letter to Intel’s board of administrators inquiring about Tan’s ties to China.
Trump says price lists are coming for the business
August 5 – President Donald Trump instructed CNBC’s Squawk Field that he used to be making plans to announce price lists at the semiconductor business once the next week. On the time, he didn’t point out specifics on what those price lists may just appear to be. As of September 5, no price lists had been introduced for this business.
July
Intel spins out trade unit
July 25 – Simply at some point after its second-quarter income name, Intel showed that it used to be spinning out its Community and Edge crew, which is accountable for making chips for the telecom business. The trade unit produced $5.8 billion in income for the semiconductor corporate in 2024.
Intel continues to search for potency
July 24: Intel introduced that it used to be pulling again on a few of its production operations. The corporate will not pursue its in the past introduced initiatives in Germany and Poland and is consolidating its take a look at operations. Intel additionally introduced it plans to finish this yr with round 75,000 workers.
Trump’s AI Motion Plan
July 23: The Trump management unveiled its much-anticipated AI Motion Plan along a couple of comparable government orders. Whilst the plan features a lot in regards to the want for U.S. chip export controls and for the U.S. to coordinate with its allies in this effort, it doesn’t supply any concrete knowledge on what those restrictions would appear to be.
Groundbreaking UAE AI deal reportedly on hang
July 17: The Trump management helped foster a groundbreaking deal in Would possibly that led to a dedication from the United Arab Emirates to shop for billions of bucks’ price of AI chips from Nvidia. However now that deal is reportedly on hang because the U.S. works thru nationwide safety considerations and fears that the ones chips may well be smuggled from the Center East to China.
Nvidia is a bargaining chip
July 16: An afternoon after semiconductor companies like Nvidia and AMD were given the golf green gentle to renew promoting sure AI chips to China, we discovered why. U.S. Trade Safety Howard Lutnick mentioned the plans to permit U.S. corporations to start out promoting AI chips in China are tied to ongoing business discussions between the U.S. and China referring to uncommon earth parts.
U.S. chips head again to China
July 14: Nvidia mentioned it used to be submitting an software to restart gross sales of H20 AI chips in China, confirming rumors from a couple of weeks prior. The corporate additionally introduced that it will be promoting a brand new chip, the RTX Professional, which used to be designed particularly for the Chinese language marketplace.
Malaysia fights chip smuggling
July 14: Malaysia introduced that it used to be launching business allows for U.S.-made AI chips. Beneath this new restriction, someone or trade would want to give the Malaysian govt 30 days’ realize sooner than exporting any U.S. AI chips.
June
Intel appoints new management
June 18: Intel introduced 4 new management appointments that Intel says will lend a hand it transfer towards its purpose of changing into an engineering-first corporate once more. Intel introduced a brand new leader income officer along with a couple of high-profile engineering hires.
Intel to start out layoffs
June 17: Intel will start to lay off a vital chew of its Intel Foundry workforce in July. The corporate plans to do away with a minimum of 15%, and as much as 20%, of employees in that trade unit. Those layoffs aren’t a surprise: It used to be rumored again in April, and Intel’s CEO Lip-Bu Tan has mentioned he needs to flatten the group.
Nvidia gained’t record on China
June 13: Nvidia isn’t counting at the U.S. backing off from its AI chip export restrictions anytime quickly. After the corporate took a monetary hit from the newly imposed licensing necessities on its H20 AI chips, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang mentioned the corporate will not come with the Chinese language marketplace in long run income and benefit forecasts.
AMD acquires the workforce at the back of Untether AI
June 6: AMD makes every other acquisition — this time all for ability. The corporate acqui-hired the workforce at the back of Untether AI, which develops AI inference chips, because the semiconductor massive continues to spherical out its AI choices.
AMD is coming for Nvidia’s AI {hardware} dominance
June 4: AMD endured its buying groceries spree. The corporate obtained AI device optimization startup Brium, which is helping corporations retrofit AI device to paintings with other AI {hardware}. With a large number of AI device being designed with Nvidia {hardware} in thoughts, this acquisition isn’t unexpected.
Would possibly
Nvidia lays out the affect of chip export restrictions
Would possibly 28: Nvidia reported that U.S. licensing necessities on its H20 AI chips price the corporate $4.5 billion in fees all through Q1. The corporate expects those necessities to lead to an $8 billion hit to Nvidia’s income in Q2.
AMD acquires Enosemi
Would possibly 28: AMD kicks off its acquisition spree. The semiconductor corporate introduced that it obtained Enosemi, a silicon photonics startup. Enosemi’s tech, which makes use of gentle photons to transmit knowledge, is changing into an expanding house of hobby for semiconductor corporations.
Tensions begin to flare between China and the U.S.
Would possibly 21: China’s Trade Secretary didn’t just like the U.S. steerage, issued on Would possibly 13, that warned U.S. corporations that the use of Huawei’s AI chips “any place on the earth” used to be a U.S. chip export violation. The trade secretary issued a commentary that threatened criminal motion in opposition to any person stuck implementing that export restriction.
Intel is also beginning to offload its non-core gadgets
Would possibly 20: Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan apparently were given proper to paintings on his plan to spin out Intel’s non-core trade gadgets. The semiconductor massive is reportedly taking a look to offload its networking and edge gadgets, which make chips for telecom apparatus, and had been accountable for $5.4 billion of the corporate’s 2024 income.
The Biden management’s AI Diffusion rule is formally useless
Would possibly 13: Simply days sooner than the Biden management’s Synthetic Intelligence Diffusion Rule used to be set to enter position, the U.S. Division of Trade officially rescinded it. The DOC mentioned that it plans to factor new steerage at some point, and within the intervening time, corporations must remember the fact that the use of Huawei’s Ascend AI chips any place on the earth is a contravention of U.S. export laws.
A final-minute reversal
Would possibly 7: Only a week sooner than the “Framework for Synthetic Intelligence Diffusion” used to be set to enter position, the Trump management plans on taking a special trail. In line with a couple of media retailers, together with Axios and Bloomberg, the management gained’t put in force the limitations once they had been meant to start out on Would possibly 15 and is as an alternative running by itself framework.
April
Anthropic doubles down on its strengthen of chip export restrictions
April 30: Anthropic doubled down on its strengthen for limiting U.S.-made chip exports, together with some tweaks to the Framework for Synthetic Intelligence Diffusion, like implementing additional restrictions on Tier 2 international locations and dedicating sources to enforcement. An Nvidia spokesperson shot again, announcing, “American companies must focal point on innovation and upward thrust to the problem, fairly than inform tall stories that enormous, heavy, and delicate electronics are by hook or by crook smuggled in ‘child bumps’ or ‘along are living lobsters.’”
Deliberate layoffs at Intel
April 22: Forward of its Q1 income name, Intel mentioned it used to be making plans to put off greater than 21,000 workers. The layoffs had been intended to streamline control, one thing CEO Lip-Bu Tan has lengthy mentioned Intel had to do, and lend a hand rebuild the corporate’s engineering focal point.
The Trump management additional restricts chip exports
April 15: Nvidia’s H20 AI chip were given hit with an export licensing requirement, the corporate disclosed in an SEC submitting. The corporate added it expects $5.5 billion in fees associated with this new requirement within the first quarter of its 2026 fiscal yr. The H20 is essentially the most complicated AI chip Nvidia can nonetheless export to China in some shape or style. TSMC and Intel reported an identical bills the similar week.
Nvidia seems to speak its means out of additional chip exports
April 9: Nvidia’s CEO Jensen Huang used to be noticed attending dinner at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago lodge, in keeping with reviews. On the time, NPR reported Huang can have been ready to spare Nvidia’s H20 AI chips from export restrictions upon agreeing to spend money on AI knowledge facilities within the U.S.
An alleged settlement between Intel and TSMC
April 3: Intel and TSMC allegedly reached a tentative settlement to release a joint chipmaking challenge. This three way partnership would function Intel’s chipmaking amenities, and TSMC would have a 20% stake within the new challenge. Each corporations declined to remark or ascertain. If this deal doesn’t come to fruition, that is most probably a tight preview of possible offers on this business to come back.
Intel spins off non-core property, proclaims new initiative
April 1: CEO Lip-Bu Tan set to work straight away. Simply weeks after he joined Intel, the corporate introduced that it used to be going to spin off non-core property so it will focal point. He additionally mentioned the corporate would release new merchandise, together with customized semiconductors for purchasers.
March
Intel names a brand new CEO
March 12: Intel introduced that business veteran and previous board member Lip-Bu Tan would go back to the corporate as CEO on March 18. On the time of his appointment, Tan mentioned Intel can be an “engineering-focused corporate” below his management.
February
Intel’s Ohio chip plant will get not on time once more
February 28: Intel used to be meant to start out running its first chip fabrication plant in Ohio this yr. As an alternative, the corporate bogged down development at the plant for the second one time in February. Now the $28 billion semiconductor challenge gained’t wrap up development till 2030 and would possibly not even open till 2031.
Senators name for extra chip export restrictions
February 3: U.S. senators, together with Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo), wrote a letter to Trade Secretary Nominee-Designate Howard Lutnick, urging the Trump management to additional prohibit AI chip exports. The letter particularly referred to Nvidia’s H20 AI chips, which have been used within the coaching of DeepSeek’s R1 “reasoning” fashion.
January
DeepSeek releases its open “reasoning” fashion
January 27: Chinese language AI startup DeepSeek led to rather the stir in Silicon Valley when it launched the open model of its R1 “reasoning” fashion. Whilst this isn’t semiconductor information particularly, the sheer alarm within the AI and semiconductor industries DeepSeek’s free up led to continues to have ripple results at the chip business.
Joe Biden’s government order on chip exports
January 13: With only a week left in place of business, former president Joe Biden proposed sweeping new export restrictions on U.S.-made AI chips. This order created a three-tier construction that decided what number of U.S. chips will also be exported to every nation. Beneath this proposal, Tier 1 international locations confronted no restrictions; Tier 2 international locations had a chip acquire restrict for the primary time; and Tier 3 international locations were given further restrictions.
Anthropic’s Dario Amodei weighs in on chip export restrictions
January 6: Anthropic co-founder and CEO Dario Amodei co-wrote an op-ed in The Wall Boulevard Magazine endorsing present AI chip export controls and pointing to them as a explanation why China’s AI marketplace used to be at the back of the U.S. He also referred to as on incoming president Donald Trump to impose additional restrictions and to near loopholes that experience allowed AI corporations in China to nonetheless get their palms on those chips.
This tale used to be in the beginning revealed on Would possibly 9, 2025, and is incessantly up to date with new knowledge.
