US President Donald Trump on Friday said computing giant Intel had agreed to give the US government a 10-percent equity stake in the company.

"I said, I think you should pay us 10 percent of your company," he told reporters about a meeting with Intel last week.

"I said, I think it would be good having the United States as your partner.... they've agreed to do it, and I think it's a great deal for them."

US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick had said on Tuesday that the chipmaker should give Washington an equity stake in the company in exchange for grants earlier committed by former president Joe Biden's administration.

Lutnick told CNBC any arrangement would not give the administration governing or voting rights in Intel.

He criticised grants committed under the CHIPS and Science Act -- a major law passed during Biden's term -- as funding that was going to be simply given away.

The law was aimed at strengthening the US semiconductor industry, and the Biden administration had unveiled billions in grants through it.

Intel is one of Silicon Valley's most iconic companies but its fortunes have been dwarfed by Asian powerhouses TSMC and Samsung, which dominate the made-to-order semiconductor business.

Also on Tuesday, Japan-based tech investor SoftBank Group said it would invest US$2 billion in Intel, the latest in SoftBank's succession of investments and business deals in the United States as its charismatic founder Masayoshi Son aggressively courts Trump. (AFP)