Since President Donald Trump declared April 2 as "Liberation Day" and unveiled sweeping reciprocal tariffs, the US-China trade war has sharply intensified. Trump's changing tariff policy on China has now been up to 145%. China's State Council Tariff Commission responded in kind: beginning April 12, all US-origin goods entering China would face the same 125% tariff.

The United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released updated tariff guidelines on the evening of April 11, setting a uniform 10% duty on major electronic products—including notebooks, smartphones, and servers. This replaces the previously proposed country-specific reciprocal tariffs. However, China remains subject to a higher rate.

The Trump administration is intensifying efforts to cut national debt and encourage the return of manufacturing to American shores, aligning with the "Make America Great Again" initiative. This focus aims at key industry leaders, including Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and Apple, which derives a substantial portion of its revenue from the US, as well as sectors encompassing mobile phones, PCs, servers, and automobiles.

Samsung Electronics, a global leader in semiconductor manufacturing, is making significant strides in advancing its production capabilities with plans for its 2nm and 1.0nm process nodes. As the company accelerates its technological developments, these initiatives are positioned to play a critical role in Samsung's push to maintain a competitive edge in the rapidly evolving semiconductor industry.

In a strategic pivot aimed at bolstering its high-bandwidth memory (HBM) operations, Samsung Electronics has begun reassigning personnel from its semiconductor division's foundry unit to its growing HBM business. The move, however, has sparked internal debate and raised concerns about the company's long-term competitiveness in the foundry sector, especially against rival TSMC.