According to sources cited in Bloomberg’s report, the US government is considering imposing sanctions on Chinese technology firms, including ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), in its latest move against China’s advanced semiconductor sector.
The same report has pointed out that the US Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) is currently considering including CXMT in the Entity List, which would restrict the listed companies’ access to US technology. Apart from CXMT, US officials are also contemplating restrictions on five other Chinese companies, though the final list has yet to be confirmed.
Regarding this matter, the BIS and White House National Security Council declined to comment.
CXMT is a major Chinese DRAM manufacturer whose products include chips applicable in computer servers, smart vehicles, and other devices. Its primary competitors include Micron, Samsung Electronics, and SK Hynix. Micron.
The recent actions by the US government reportedly stem from Huawei’s breakthrough last year in circumventing US restrictions to acquire advanced process chips, specifically obtaining chips using the 7-nanometer process from SMIC (Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation). This allowed Huawei to make a comeback in the 5G smartphone market, prompting concerns and responses from the US government.
Gina Raimondo, the US Secretary of Commerce, has responded by stating that the US will take “as strong and effective action as possible” to uphold national security interests.
Currently, companies that have been listed on the Entity List by the US Department of Commerce include Huawei, SMIC (Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation), and Shanghai Micro Electronics. Additionally, China’s other major memory manufacturer, Yangtze Memory Technology Corp, was added to this restriction list in 2022.
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(Photo credit: CXMT)