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Trump Administration Renegotiates Biden-Era Chips Act Grants, Says Commerce Secretary Lutnick

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The Trump administration is actively renegotiating semiconductor manufacturing grants originally awarded under the Biden-era CHIPS and Science Act, according to U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Speaking before the Senate Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, Lutnick indicated that some of these awards may be significantly altered or even cancelled as part of efforts to secure better terms for U.S. taxpayers.

“Some of the Biden-era grants just seemed overly generous, and we’ve been able to renegotiate them,” Lutnick told lawmakers, emphasizing that the renegotiations aim to deliver greater value to the American public. “All the deals are getting better, and the only deals that are not getting done are deals that should have never been done in the first place.”

$52.7 Billion CHIPS Act Under Review

The $52.7 billion CHIPS and Science Act, signed by President Biden in 2022, was designed to bolster domestic semiconductor manufacturing and reduce reliance on Asia, particularly Taiwan and South Korea. Under the program, billions of dollars in grants were awarded to both U.S. and foreign chipmakers, including Taiwan’s TSMC, South Korea’s Samsung and SK Hynix, as well as U.S.-based Intel and Micron.

Though many of these awards were signed before Biden left office, most of the funds have yet to be fully disbursed. The grant payments are generally structured to be released as companies meet specific production and investment milestones tied to their U.S. plant expansions.

TSMC Award Revised Amid Expanding U.S. Investment

Lutnick cited Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) as an example of successful renegotiation. Under the original agreement, TSMC was awarded $6 billion to support its U.S. manufacturing expansion. Lutnick revealed that TSMC subsequently increased its planned investment from $65 billion to $165 billion, while still receiving the same $6 billion in federal funds.

Although TSMC confirmed in March that it would invest an additional $100 billion in the U.S., the company has not commented on whether the new investment was directly tied to renegotiated CHIPS Act terms.

White House Seeking Delays and New Terms

The renegotiation efforts are not new. In February, Reuters reported that the White House was already seeking to renegotiate several awards and delay some upcoming disbursements to ensure better returns on government spending.

Lutnick’s comments suggest that the Trump administration intends to continue scrutinizing past agreements to maximize taxpayer value and may block deals it deems wasteful or excessive.

AI Computing Capacity Also a Focus

During the hearing, Lutnick also addressed concerns about the global race for artificial intelligence computing capacity. He emphasized the administration’s commitment to ensuring that over 50% of global AI compute power remains based in the United States. This statement comes amid criticism of a Trump administration deal allowing the United Arab Emirates to purchase advanced American AI chips, raising fears about exporting critical technology.

Intel Debuts Arc Pro B-Series GPUs With Built-In XMX AI Cores and Enhanced Ray Tracing Capabilities

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Intel has officially launched its Arc Pro B-series graphics processing units (GPUs) at Computex 2025, targeting the growing demand for high-performance GPUs in professional workstations and AI inference tasks. Designed with larger memory capacities and expanded software compatibility, these GPUs aim to serve developers, creators, and engineers who require robust computational and graphical power. The lineup includes two models: the Intel Arc Pro B50 and Arc Pro B60. Both GPUs are built on Intel’s latest Xe2 architecture and come equipped with advanced ray tracing units and Intel’s Xe Matrix Extensions (XMX) AI cores.

The Arc Pro B60 GPU will hit the market first, with availability beginning in June 2025 through Intel’s add-in board partners such as ASRock, Gunnir, Maxsun, and Sparkle. Intel has yet to announce the pricing for this model. The Arc Pro B50, on the other hand, will be available starting July via Intel-authorized resellers at a price of $299 (roughly Rs. 25,500). These GPUs come in a variety of partner board form factors, allowing flexibility in deployment across different workstation builds.

Specifically tailored for professional-grade applications, the Arc Pro B-series GPUs are built to handle demanding workloads such as 3D rendering, real-time ray tracing, and AI model inference. Intel claims that these GPUs offer up to 3.4 times better graphical fidelity and up to 3.5 times higher inference performance in AI models like Stable Diffusion when compared to Nvidia’s RTX A1000 8GB. These performance gains highlight Intel’s ambition to compete in the enterprise GPU market, particularly for creators and AI developers.

In addition to the hardware upgrades, Intel has also emphasized its commitment to improving the software stack that supports the Arc Pro B-series. With optimized drivers and expanded compatibility for professional applications, users can expect smoother performance across workflows in CAD, media production, and AI training. The launch of the Arc Pro B-series marks a strategic move by Intel to not only bolster its presence in the GPU space but also cater directly to industries increasingly reliant on AI-driven computation and high-end graphics.

Intel Weighs Sale of Networking and Edge Unit in Strategic Refocus Under New CEO

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Intel is considering divesting its networking and edge computing division — previously known as NEX — as part of a broader strategy to streamline operations and refocus on its core strengths in PC and data center chips, according to sources familiar with internal discussions.

Under new CEO Lip-Bu Tan, the tech giant is evaluating the relevance of its diverse business units to prioritize areas where it maintains market leadership. Tan emphasized at an event in Taipei that Intel commands 68% of the PC chip market and 55% of the data center chip market, and plans to “expand and build on” those domains.

Although no formal sale process has been launched yet, Intel has initiated early-stage discussions, spoken with third parties potentially interested in the NEX business, and interviewed investment banks to possibly advise on the transaction. However, no advisor has been officially retained, and options remain open.

Sources indicate that the networking and edge unit — which generated $5.8 billion in revenue in 2024 — is no longer seen as essential to Intel’s growth plans. The company now folds NEX’s financials into its broader PC and data center segments, eliminating separate reporting.

The telecom-focused segment within NEX is especially seen as misaligned with Intel’s new direction, and competitors like Broadcom dominate significant parts of the networking market, further reducing Intel’s strategic incentive to compete there.

While Intel has not committed to a full divestiture, it may explore partnerships, stake sales, or restructuring alternatives. The potential NEX sale follows other recent portfolio adjustments — notably, the $4.46 billion sale of a majority stake in its Altera unit to SilverLake in April. That move came after previously planned IPO ambitions for Altera under former CEO Pat Gelsinger.

Despite this refocusing, Intel continues to face pressure as it loses ground in the PC and data center markets, making Tan’s efforts a critical pivot point for the company’s future trajectory.