The United States recently announced restrictions on the export of advanced chips and related manufacturing equipment to mainland China. Following the one-year grace granted by the US government to South Korean semiconductor giants SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics, “Nikkei Asia” revealed on the 13th that Taiwan’s TSMC (TSMC) ) is also licensed for one year.
Nikkei Asia, citing sources, reported that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. has received a one-year license to continue ordering U.S. chip production equipment, boosting its expansion plans in mainland China. The U.S. government has assured TSMC, the world’s largest wafer foundry, that TSMC will be able to ship equipment to its fab in Nanjing, mainland China, meaning the company’s expansion plans in mainland China, the world’s second-largest economy, will remain unchanged.
The United States imposed strict export controls on mainland China on the 7th, aiming to almost comprehensively prevent the development of semiconductors in mainland China. The relevant regulations prohibit not only U.S. chip tool makers from supporting high-end chip production in mainland China, but also prohibit third-country companies such as TSMC from serving Chinese customers with U.S.-made equipment in some cases, unless approved by the U.S. side.
TSMC is mainly expanding the production of mature chips in the Nanjing plant, which is the 22/28nm process node, which is its most advanced fab in mainland China. The factory, which opened in 2018, also produces 16-nanometer chips that Washington has included in the latest export controls.
In addition to TSMC, Yonhap News Agency reported on the 12th that Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have recently received an official notice from the U.S. Department of Commerce that they do not need to apply for additional licenses to update their plants and equipment in mainland China in the next year to ensure normal production.
(Editor-in-Chief: Zhuang Yanyu)
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