The U.S. government apparently wants to expand its stakes in computer chip manufacturers that are already subsidized by the state. U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is exploring how the government could receive blocks of shares in companies such as Micron, TSMC, and Samsung in exchange for funds from the so-called CHIPS Act, two sources told Reuters.

The government is thus expanding a plan already known to industry leader Intel. A large portion of the funding has not yet been disbursed. The White House cites national security White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed on Tuesday that Lutnick was working on a deal with Intel for a ten percent state stake. “The president wants to put America’s needs first, both from a national security perspective and from an economic standpoint,” she told reporters.

Although Lutnick had stated that the government did not want to dictate to Intel how to run its business, such a stake would be unprecedented. It would mark the beginning of a new era of U.S. influence in large corporations. Nearly $53 billion at stake The Commerce Department oversees the $52.7 billion CHIPS Act (around €45.1 billion), which provides subsidies for building chip factories in the U.S.

According to the sources, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent is also involved in the talks, but Lutnick is driving the process, and U.S. President Donald Trump supports the idea. Late last year, the U.S. Commerce Department approved subsidies of $4.75 billion for Samsung, $6.2 billion for Micron, and $6.6 billion for TSMC for semiconductor production in the U.S. TSMC declined to comment. Micron, Samsung, and the White House did not initially respond to requests for comment.