U.S.-China Tech War: Micron Pushing U.S. Congress to Pass Bill Restricting Sales of Chip-Making Tools to Chinese Competitors
According to sources familiar with the matter cited by Reuters, Micron Technology, the largest U.S. manufacturer of memory chips, is actively pushing for the passage of a bill in Congress that would impose new export restrictions on equipment used in chip manufacturing by its Chinese competitors.
A committee in the U.S. House of Representatives held a meeting on Wednesday to vote on the MATCH Act (Multilateral Agreement on Control of Hardware Technology). The bill aims to close loopholes in export controls for chip-making equipment and pressure non-U.S. companies selling such equipment to Chinese chipmakers to comply with export restrictions already applied to American firms like Lam Research and Applied Materials.
The legislation targets facilities operated by ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), Yangtze Memory Technologies (YMTC), and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC), as well as key technologies across China.
Sources said Micron has informed members of Congress that Washington needs to take further measures to curb China’s development in the memory chip market. They emphasized that the U.S. must intensify efforts to prevent China from dominating memory chip manufacturing—just as it has done in the solar industry and other sectors—due to national security concerns.
Micron did not respond to requests for comment. Neither did ChangXin Memory, YMTC, or SMIC. Currently, South Korean chipmakers Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix dominate the memory chip market, with Micron Technology ranking third and being the only major U.S. supplier.
Although the U.S. Department of Commerce has imposed export restrictions on YMTC and CXMT, both companies continue to grow rapidly. YMTC was added to the trade restriction list in 2022, while advanced facilities at CXMT are also subject to U.S. export controls.
The current draft of the MATCH Act would restrict the export of additional chip-making equipment to China, including immersion deep ultraviolet (immersion DUV) lithography systems—a market dominated by Dutch company ASML—and specify procedures for implementing restrictions when diplomatic efforts fail. The bill would also require ASML and other foreign companies to obtain licenses before providing equipment maintenance services at relevant facilities.
Sources said Micron representatives have maintained communication with lawmakers throughout the drafting process. They also added that about a month ago, Sanjay Mehrotra, CEO of Micron Technology, held a closed-door roundtable meeting with members of the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee. Another source noted that Mehrotra had similarly met with Republican members of the Senate Banking Committee last month.
Source: rfi
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1863203373633545/
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