(Added context and statement from TSMC)
WASHINGTON, Oct 13 (Reuters) – The United States has allowed South Korean companies SK Hynix 000660.KS and Samsung 005930.KS to continue receiving some U.S. chipmaking tools at their Chinese factories, the Ministry of Commerce said. Commerce in a statement Friday.
The authorization allows them to continue chipmaking operations in China without having to apply for U.S. licenses to obtain new equipment, after new rules issued last October limited Chinese chipmakers’ access to coveted tools. .
The October 2022 rules restricted shipments of chips and advanced chipmaking equipment to China, part of U.S. efforts to slow China’s technological and military progress.
The United States then rushed to grant special permissions to foreign chipmakers to avoid the unintended consequences of these rules on their production. Friday’s press release formalizes and extends these authorizations.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) said in a statement Friday that it had been allowed to continue operations in Nanjing and was in the process of applying for permanent authorization for operations in China, which it hopes to receive.
Samsung Electronics makes about 40% of its NAND flash chips at its factory in Xian, China, while SK Hynix makes about 40% of its DRAM chips in Wuxi and 20% of its NAND flash chips in Dalian.
As of the end of June, the companies together controlled nearly 70% of the global DRAM market and 50% of the NAND flash chip market, according to TrendForce data.
2023-10-13 14:35:05
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