Foreign media: Apple lobbies the US government to cut taxes to stimulate chip production

Apple has been lobbying the U.S. government for tax cuts to stimulate domestic chip production, according to Bloomberg, suggesting that Apple may move more of its supply chain to the United States.

Apple's lobbying in the United States is currently led by company veteran Tim Powderly. The company's second and third quarter disclosures indicate that it has lobbied officials at the Treasury Department, Congress and the White House on tax issues including the "U.S. Semiconductor Production Tax Credit."

Bloomberg reported that chips have become a major performance differentiator for Apple since the release of its first custom processor in 2010. The company designs these chips in the United States but outsources production to TSMC. In addition, many components of Apple devices are manufactured in mainland China. This exposes the company to import tariffs and other risks brought about by the Sino-US trade war.

In addition to Apple, the U.S. semiconductor industry has also made a broader effort to gain government support to increase domestic chip production. Previously, the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) released a report saying that the U.S. government needs to invest $20 billion to $50 billion to stop the trend of manufacturing moving overseas for decades.