U.S. Treasury Hints at Possible Acquisition of Shipbuilding Stakes Following Semiconductors

by Lee Seunghyeong

Published 28 Aug.2025 08:37(KST)

Attention on Possible Link Between South Korea-U.S. Shipbuilding Investments

Scott Besent, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, mentioned the possibility that the Donald Trump administration may consider acquiring stakes in shipbuilding companies as its next move after semiconductors.

Scott Besent, U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. Photo by EPA Yonhap News

In an interview with Fox Business on the 27th (local time), Secretary Besent was asked whether President Trump is also considering acquiring a stake in Nvidia, a semiconductor company. He responded, "I don't think Nvidia needs financial support. That doesn't seem to be on the table right now," and added, "There may be other industries, such as shipbuilding, which we are restructuring, that could be candidates for stake acquisition." He continued, "These industries are extremely important for the United States to be self-sufficient. However, they have been neglected for the past 20, 30, or 40 years."

Previously, the U.S. government decided to invest a total of 11.1 billion dollars in Intel, including subsidies under the CHIPS Act, and in return, secured a 10% stake in Intel. Since then, the administration has expressed its intention to acquire stakes in other U.S. companies in key industries, but has yet to specify which companies will be targeted.

Howard Lutnick, Secretary of Commerce, also stated in a CNBC interview the previous day that the U.S. government is considering acquiring stakes in defense contractors. Regarding this, Secretary Besent said, "I'm not sure if we need to hold stakes in defense contractors." He added, "We will look at whether defense contractors are delivering enough products to the U.S. military and fulfilling their missions, and whether they are overly prioritizing shareholder interests."

If the U.S. government moves to acquire stakes in shipbuilding companies, attention will be focused on whether discussions will be linked to the 150 billion dollar shipbuilding investment package that South Korea has pledged to provide to the United States. The nature of this investment package remains unclear, and additional consultations between South Korea and the United States are needed.