President Donald Trump on 7 August imposed a 100 percent tariff on all semiconductor chips entering the United States, quadrupling the levy he floated earlier this year. The move deepens a broad tariff campaign that has already raised U.S. import duties to their highest level in a century. Companies that manufacture chips domestically or have committed to building U.S. capacity will be exempt. Within hours of the announcement, Apple said it will raise its planned U.S. manufacturing outlay to $600 billion over the next four years—an additional $100 billion—so its products avoid the new duty. Officials in Taiwan and South Korea indicated that TSMC, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix should also qualify because of their existing or pending U.S. plants. Equity markets largely welcomed the carve-outs. Apple gained 5.1 percent and the VanEck Semiconductor ETF rose about 3 percent. In Asia, TSMC rallied 4.9 percent, Samsung 2.5 percent and SK Hynix 1.4 percent. Intel shares, however, slipped after the president publicly called for the company’s chief executive to step down. Analysts cautioned that most chips reach the U.S. embedded in finished goods, raising questions over how customs officials will enforce the duty and whether it will eventually broaden to consumer electronics. Several trading partners have already opened talks with Washington seeking preferential terms, while industry groups warned that wider application could lift prices for everything from appliances to electric vehicles.