Last week, the U.S. Department of Commerce revealed more details about its plans to curb chip exports to China to prevent the nation from acquiring advanced semiconductor technology. Now, it is reported that the Department of Commerce decided to allow both Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix to ship semiconductor factory equipment to their facilities in China without having to apply for a permit.
The Department of Commerce has set new regulations in place, stating that semiconductor manufacturers that have ties with Chinese companies need to obtain a permit before shipping advanced chipset technologies to China. These applications are to be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, and Samsung was fearful that this might disrupt its chipset operations in China, as it would be unable to ship new equipment to its factories for advanced semiconductor manufacturing.
However, according to new reports, Samsung has been allowed to export semiconductor equipment to strengthen its supply chain in China without having to wait for approval from the USA government. This permit will be valid for one year. (via The Korea Times) Samsung didn't comment much on the matter, with one spokesperson saying “There is nothing to say about the issue.”
Samsung manufactures around 38% of its NAND chips in China. The company recently shared its roadmap for next-gen chipset manufacturing nodes, including 2nm and 1.4nm. The tech giant intends to mass-manufacture 2nm-based chips by 2025 and 1.4nm chips by 2027.
