DC Intel of chip variety

The White House is in talks with semiconductor companies about building chip factories in the US, reps from two chipmakers said.

Intel is in discussions with the Department of Defense over improving domestic sources for microelectronics and related technology, company spokesman William Moss said in an e-mailed statement.

“Intel is well-positioned to work with the US government to operate a US-owned commercial foundry and supply a broad range of secure microelectronics,” the statement added.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., on the other hand, has been in talks with the federal Department of Commerce about building a factory but said it has not made a final decision yet.

“We are actively evaluating all the suitable locations, including in the US, but there is no concrete plan yet,” TSMC spokeswoman Nina Kao said inastatement.

Intel Chief Executive Bob Swan wrote a letter to the Department of Defense in late March in which he expressed the company’s willingness to build a chip factory in partnership with the Pentagon.

“This is more important than ever, given the uncertainty created by the current geopolitical environment,” Swan wrote in the letter dated March 30 and seen by Reuters.

The Trump administration’s discussions with chipmakers were reported earlier by the Wall Street Journal, with the report adding that TSMC also has been talking with Apple, one of its largest customers, about building a chip factory in the US.

TSMC declined to comment on the talks with the iPhone maker.