The Trump administration is examining whether to take minority equity positions in semiconductor manufacturers that receive funding under the 2022 CHIPS and Science Act, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing a senior U.S. official. The move would add an ownership component to the $52.7 billion program designed to boost domestic chip production. Officials said the policy would not target companies already ramping up U.S. investment, specifically naming Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. and Micron Technology. Executives at TSMC have held preliminary talks about returning their roughly $6.6 billion in subsidies should Washington demand a stake, the report said. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told CNBC earlier this week that the government is still weighing the purchase of about a 10 percent holding in Intel and may pursue shares in smaller chip firms that have accepted federal grants but committed fewer resources to U.S. fabrication plants. If adopted, the equity-for-subsidy strategy would mark a departure from the CHIPS Act’s current mix of grants and tax credits, potentially giving the federal government a direct financial interest in the performance of certain manufacturers while leaving large investors in U.S. capacity, such as TSMC and Micron, unaffected.