US imports of semiconductors and computer gear hit $74.8 billion in August 2026

The AI data center buildout is showing up in the trade data, and the trade deficit is getting wider America’s appetite for chips and computing hardware has reached a new level. US imports of semiconductors, computers, and related equipment reached $74.8 billion in August 2026, four times the August 2023 level. The numbers come from data released by the US Census Bureau and the Bureau of Economic Analysis in early October 2026. They point to one main driver: companies racing to fill AI data centers with foreign-made hardware. Breaking down the August numbers The $74.8 billion figure covers a wide group of products. It includes semiconductors, computers, and the equipment that goes with them. Look only at semiconductors and the story is just as striking. Chip imports hit a record $15.4 billion in August, up $2.4 billion from July. The year-to-date total makes the trend clearer. Semiconductor imports over the first eight months of 2026 came to approximately $90.5 billion. That is nearly double the $49.2 billion recorded over the same stretch of 2025. The surge also reaches past chips. Capital goods imports reached an all-time high of $146.4 billion in August, up $6.2 billion from the ...