"The United States has granted Samsung and SK Hynix permission to continue shipping chip manufacturing equipment to their factories in China in 2026. This gives the two South Korean chipmakers temporary breathing space in an increasingly complex geopolitical playing field, where export restrictions and technological rivalry set the tone. According to SiliconANGLE, the approval comes in the form of an annual license. This is a clear break with the previous policy, which granted certain large chip companies long-term exemptions."
"Samsung, SK Hynix, and TSMC have so far benefited from a special status that allowed them to bring US chip manufacturing tools to their Chinese facilities without having to obtain separate permission each time. That status expires at the end of this year. From that point on, every shipment will be subject to explicit approval by the US government. The new annual licensing model is part of that revision."
"For Samsung and SK Hynix, China is a crucial production location, especially for older generations of memory chips. It is precisely this segment that has recently become attractive again due to strong demand from AI data centers and a more limited supply on the global market. The halt in equipment deliveries could therefore have a direct impact on their production capacity and competitive position."
The United States approved annual licenses allowing Samsung and SK Hynix to continue shipping chip manufacturing equipment to their China factories in 2026. Washington replaced prior long-term exemptions with a system requiring periodic reissuance of export licenses. The previous special status that exempted Samsung, SK Hynix, and TSMC from shipment permissions expires at year-end, after which every shipment requires explicit US government approval. China remains a crucial location for older-generation memory chip production, a segment gaining demand from AI data centers amid constrained global supply. Tighter export rules aim to limit China’s access to advanced, strategically important technologies. The companies declined to comment.
Read at Techzine Global
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