The Trump administration is pressuring Mexico to adopt new origin rules that would increase the proportion of North American components used in the production of artificial intelligence (AI) hardware. This move aims to prevent foreign companies, including those from China, from circumventing U.S. tariffs and trade regulations by routing products through Mexico.
On September 15, the Wall Street Journal reported that the U.S. is demanding limits on the share of components sourced from outside North America for semiconductors and servers used in AI hardware produced and assembled in Mexico.
This issue is part of ongoing discussions related to the renegotiation of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). The U.S. has been seeking to expand origin rules, previously applied to automobiles, to other strategic industries, including AI hardware. For automobiles, products must have at least 75% of their value sourced from North America to qualify for tariff exemptions.
Trade officials from the U.S. and Mexico are expected to hold further negotiations in Washington as early as next week. However, sources indicate that the U.S. proposal is still in its early stages. Specific requirements regarding the proportion of North American or U.S. components and the grace period for companies to adapt to the new regulations have yet to be determined.
This year, AI hardware has emerged as a major export from Mexico to the U.S., surpassing automobiles. According to S&P Global, Mexico exported $83 billion worth of computer servers used in AI data centers in the first half of the year, with 94% of those exports heading to the U.S., marking an increase of over 170% compared to the same period last year.
The Wall Street Journal noted that while the Trump administration imposes tariffs on automobiles, auto parts, and high-end semiconductors, some general-purpose semiconductors used in AI infrastructure enter the U.S. essentially duty-free. This suggests that the U.S. aims to close potential tariff loopholes that Chinese companies might exploit.
Senator Bernie Moreno, a Republican, told the WSJ that he discussed the introduction of origin rules with the Mexican industry, stating, "Products may appear to be Mexican but are actually from China. We must not allow Chinese companies to bypass U.S. trade regulations through the Western Hemisphere."
The U.S. is also reportedly considering expanding origin rules beyond AI hardware to other industries, including medical devices. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer mentioned in July the need to extend origin rules to strategic industries such as electronics and pharmaceuticals. He stated that efforts are underway to strengthen the origin rules in the USMCA and to identify industries that could expand production bases in Mexico and the U.S.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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