Washington frees major Chinese semiconductor makers from sanctions after pressure from Tokyo, sources say
The US has spared China’s top producer of dynamic random access memory (DRAM) from its latest round of chip export restrictions due to opposition from Japan, according to sources.
The US Department of Commerce, through the Bureau of Industry and Security, on Monday imposed an export ban to China on 24 types of chipmaking equipment and three categories of software essential for semiconductor development.
It also added 140 Chinese companies to the Entity List, prohibiting them from accessing products and tools that contain US technologies without Washington’s approval.
However, some of China’s largest semiconductor companies were left out of this list, including ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT).
His absence was in part due to the influence of Japan, whose main producer of chipmaking tools, Tokyo Electron, is a key supplier to the Chinese company, according to a person who was briefed on the matter but preferred not be identified.
CXMT did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.
The US had initially considered including CXMT and 11 other Huawei Technologies suppliers on the list, according to a Bloomberg report.
CXMT’s final omission reflects the pressure facing Washington from its allies to moderate its expanding sanctions against Chinese companies, which are major customers of foreign chip equipment.
Japan and the Netherlands, both home to the most advanced manufacturers of chipmaking equipment, were exempt in the most recent updates to the U.S. Foreign Direct Product Rule, meaning sanctioned Chinese companies can still buy some chip equipment from those countries. countries.
Meanwhile, equipment manufactured in Malaysia, Singapore, Israel, Taiwan and South Korea is subject to control.
With information from South China Morning Post*
Source: https://www.ocafezinho.com/2024/12/06/eua-isentam-gigantes-chineses-em-manobra-pressionada-pelo-japao/
