U.S. Tariffs Are Driving Up IT Hardware Costs - Here’s How to Stay Ahead

New U.S. tariffs in 2025 mean rising costs across a wide range of imported IT equipment, including network hardware costs. If you’re responsible for budgeting, procurement, or infrastructure planning or network management, this isn’t a future problem. It’s a now problem.

The tariffs are in headlines and on your budget, causing massive supply chain disruptions and increasing operational costs. Unless your team takes steps to avoid the impact, your 2025 plans could be delayed, downsized, or scrapped.

What IT Leaders Need to Know About the 2025 Tariffs

The U.S. is expanding tariffs on technology imports, including key networking infrastructure components. Based on public tariff schedules and vendor guidance, specific hardware categories are expected to increase from 10% to 25% in 2025.

This could translate into six or seven-figure budget impacts for enterprises planning significant capital expenditure or scaling projects. Even smaller-scale investments could see thousands of dollars in unplanned costs hitting their IT budgets.

And the issue extends beyond the gear itself. Procurement timelines may shift, vendors may revise pricing, and budget forecasts built on pre-2025 assumptions could fall apart.

The Hidden Budgetary Impacts

The tariffs increase costs and disrupt operational efficiency.

You may have planned for a multi-site expansion, a new edge deployment, or a critical modernization initiative in Q3. With tariffs added in, those plans might no longer be viable. And once that happens, the downstream impacts are real:

• Project delays due to unexpected shortfalls
• Deferred upgrades that extend the life of aging equipment
• Slower progress on digital initiatives and performance improvements

What’s more, the uncertainty surrounding tariffs can make long-term planning difficult. Even if you manage to squeeze one project through, the next may not be so lucky.

Strategic Moves to Shield Your Budget

Rather than absorbing tariff-driven costs or delaying projects, IT leaders must find ways to eliminate unnecessary spending.

That starts with questioning whether you need to buy and manage hardware.

Subscription-based naas offerings, including the hardware and the service, can help you avoid the upfront investments associated with traditional networking. Instead of investing in physical gear that may be delayed, marked up, or hit with tariffs, you get predictable performance without the procurement complexity.

Graphiant’s Tariff Solution

If network infrastructure is on your roadmap for 2025, Graphiant offers a direct path to avoid tariff exposure.

The Zero Tariff Edge Node program protects your budget in two ways:

• Pre-imported network hardware: Graphiant has already secured and stored hardware at U.S. ports, so your edge deployment bypasses the 2025 tariffs entirely.
• Free hardware with subscription: When you sign a 3-year contract, the edge hardware is included at no cost. That means no surprise fees, hardware delays, or tariff impact.

You get the performance you need, without traditional hardware procurement's financial and logistical friction.

If you plan to build any edge or core infrastructure in the next 6–12 months, now is the time to act.

Waiting until Q4 or early 2026 could mean higher costs, longer delays, and reduced scope. But with Graphiant’s program, you can lock in a fully tariff-proof deployment starting today.

 Reserve your free edge node now