Lutnick just laughed it off, indignantly pointing out that “we were just giving away the money” under the previous terms of the CHIPS Act. But the legality of any equity stake would likely be challenged by both Intel shareholders and competitors in the industry, according to the Times.

The move by the U.S. could open the door for similar deals with other chipmakers that received grants under the Chips Act

The U.S. government aims to take an equity stake in Intel, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Tuesday morning.“We should get an equity stake for our money, so we’ll deliver the money which was already committed under the Biden administration,