USA First: Trump and Intel want to make processors in America

The plan of the White House of to produce microprocessors in America is starting to take shape: according to an investigation by the Wall Street Journal, discussions would have been held with some of the most important chipmakers in the world, including Intel. Intel itself confirmed the news: Vice President Greg Slater told the American newspaper that he is taking the idea very seriously. A few weeks ago we told you how TSMC, one of the most important foundries in the world that has customers like Apple, Huawei and many others, is considering opening a plant in the USA for the 2 nm production process.

Unfortunately there aren't many more details, but it is likely that everything revolves around the potentially highly profitable business of the military contracts. Intel administrator Bob Swan himself wrote a letter to the Defense Department in late April saying it is "in the best interests of the United States and Intel" to open an American foundry.

Trump and his administration have always said that they want to increase American productivity in the technological field, to create more jobs and reduce dependence on other countries – especially China, the first pole in the world with which a trade war is underway already for some years, and which is considered a risk to the national security. To put it another way: if he could choose, the Pentagon would prefer to mount American-made processors on his computers and servers.

So far the results have been rather poor: The Foxconn factory in Wisconsin has not yet opened and has hired far fewer people than initially expected. Then there is the case of the "new factory" of Apple, as Trump has called it on more than one occasion, which in reality has only been expanded (and not even by Apple). On the other hand, the operation is very complex: China has invested enormous sums and resources for more than ten years to organize an efficient, economic production chain capable of responding promptly to the needs of all customers. Such balances do not change overnight.