US Announces $5bl Commitment for Research, Development of Computer Chips

FILE - US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo speaks Dec. 11, 2023, during a visit to BAE Systems, in Nashua, N.H. The Biden administration on Friday, Feb. 9, 2024, will announce the investment of $5 billion in a public-private consortium aimed at supporting research and development in advanced computer chips. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)
FILE - US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo speaks Dec. 11, 2023, during a visit to BAE Systems, in Nashua, N.H. The Biden administration on Friday, Feb. 9, 2024, will announce the investment of $5 billion in a public-private consortium aimed at supporting research and development in advanced computer chips. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)
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US Announces $5bl Commitment for Research, Development of Computer Chips

FILE - US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo speaks Dec. 11, 2023, during a visit to BAE Systems, in Nashua, N.H. The Biden administration on Friday, Feb. 9, 2024, will announce the investment of $5 billion in a public-private consortium aimed at supporting research and development in advanced computer chips. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)
FILE - US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo speaks Dec. 11, 2023, during a visit to BAE Systems, in Nashua, N.H. The Biden administration on Friday, Feb. 9, 2024, will announce the investment of $5 billion in a public-private consortium aimed at supporting research and development in advanced computer chips. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)

The Biden administration on Friday announced the investment of $5 billion in a newly established public-private consortium aimed at supporting research and development in advanced computer chips.

The National Semiconductor Technology Center is being funded through the CHIPS and Science Act. That 2022 law aims to reinvigorate the computer chip sector within the United States through tens of billions of dollars in targeted government support.

Stakeholders in the chips industry gathered on the White House campus to discuss how the center should prioritize research and worker training for an industry poised to expand because of government backing. The coronavirus pandemic exposed the risk to the economy and national security of an overdependence on Taiwan for advanced chips, while the emergence of artificial intelligence is likely to push demand for newer and more innovative chips upward.

“This is an inflection point in the industry,” Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo told the group. “Not just because we’re dangerously dependent on one country for so many of our chips, but because AI is going to lead to an explosion of demand for chips, for sophisticated chips, more energy-efficient chips, cost-effective chips.”

The center would help to fund the design and prototyping of new chips, in addition to training workers for the sector, according to The AP.

Companies say they need a skilled workforce in order to capitalize on the separate $39 billion being provided by the government to fund new and expanded computer chip plants. Raimondo said there will be “a drumbeat” of funding announcements for companies in the next six to 12 weeks.

The sector would likely increase rapidly in terms of its need for highly specialized workers. Labor Department data say that about 375,000 people are employed in the production of computer chips with an average income of $82,830.



Gold Eases from Record Peak on Profit-taking; Trump's Tariffs in Focus

Gold bars at a gold shop in Bangkok, Thailand, 01 April 2025. EPA/RUNGROJ YONGRIT
Gold bars at a gold shop in Bangkok, Thailand, 01 April 2025. EPA/RUNGROJ YONGRIT
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Gold Eases from Record Peak on Profit-taking; Trump's Tariffs in Focus

Gold bars at a gold shop in Bangkok, Thailand, 01 April 2025. EPA/RUNGROJ YONGRIT
Gold bars at a gold shop in Bangkok, Thailand, 01 April 2025. EPA/RUNGROJ YONGRIT

Gold dipped on Thursday as traders locked in profits after prices hit a record high, following a rush to safe-haven assets triggered by US President Donald Trump's aggressive import tariffs, which escalated the already intense global trade war.

Spot gold was down 0.4% at $3,122.1, as of 0710 GMT. Earlier in the session, bullion hit an all-time high of $3,167.57.

US gold futures fell 0.7% to $3,145.00.

Trump unveiled on Wednesday a 10% baseline tariff on all imports to the US, and higher duties on dozens of countries, including some of its biggest trading partners, deepening a trade war that has rattled global markets, Reuters said.

The reciprocal tariffs do not apply to certain goods, including gold, energy and "certain minerals that are not available in the US," according to a White House fact sheet.

One of the factors supporting gold was "the slowdown that tariffs are likely to cause the US economy, raising the prospects of future rate cuts," Capital.com's financial market analyst Kyle Rodda said.

The Trump administration confirmed that the 25% global car and truck tariffs will take effect on April 3, as planned, and duties on automotive parts imports will be launched on May 3.

Gold is in "a pure momentum trade, where bulls who were left for dust are agonizing on the side line, eager for even the smallest of dips, and until we see a volatile shakeout big enough to stun bulls and bears, the momentum trade could continue higher," said Matt Simpson, a senior analyst at City Index.

Gold, a hedge against political and financial instabilities, has surged more than 19% year-to-date, mainly driven by tariff jitters, rate- cut possibilities, geopolitical conflicts, and central bank buying.

"There's also some front running going on amongst traders who anticipate (Trump's) policies will drive central banks to park their reserves in gold rather than US dollar-denominated assets," Rodda said.

Market awaits US non-farm payrolls report due on Friday for clues into the Federal Reserve's policy path.

Spot silver slipped 2.8% to $33.07 an ounce, platinum fell 1.5% to $968.37, and palladium lost 1.4% to $956.50.