WASHINGTON - U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said on Monday that her department plans to make several chips funding awards from the government's $39 billion program to boost semiconductor manufacturing.

"We're in the process of really complicated, challenging negotiations with these companies," Raimondo told Reuters in an interview. In the "next six to eight weeks, you will see several more announcements. That's what we're striving for," she said.

Raimondo emphasized that her top priority is protecting taxpayer investments, saying: "There is no artificial timeline. The timeline is as fast as possible, but get it right."

  - Reuters