According to Reuters on December 9, on December 5 local time, the Chinese NAND flash memory manufacturer Yangtze Memory Technologies has filed lawsuits against the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of Commerce regarding its inclusion on the "Entity List."
On the same day, Yangtze Memory filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Defense in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, requesting the judge to block the Department of Defense from adding the company to the so-called "military list" and to revoke this designation. Previously, the U.S. Department of Defense had added Yangtze Memory to the "List of Chinese Military Companies Operating in the United States" in January 2024, and reaffirmed this designation earlier this year.
Yangtze Memory pointed out that the U.S. Department of Defense relied on outdated and inaccurate information to make the determination, causing "significant and ongoing financial and reputational damage," including the loss of business with U.S. partners. Yangtze Memory stated that its products are commercial-grade and do not meet military specifications. The company emphasized that it has never provided its technology or products for military use.
Additionally, Yangtze Memory also filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Commerce over its inclusion on the "Entity List" in 2022. Yangtze Memory stated that it has a sound export compliance program and that the U.S. Department of Commerce has never accused it of violating U.S. export control laws.
It is worth noting that Yangtze Memory is not "fighting alone." After the lawsuits filed by other Chinese companies, such as DJI and Hesai Technology, were dismissed by the court, they have already filed appeals. As of the time of writing, the U.S. Department of Defense declined to comment on the matter, while the U.S. Department of Commerce did not respond.
According to the introduction, Yangtze Memory was established in July 2016 and is a domestic semiconductor integrated circuit enterprise focusing on 3D NAND flash memory and storage solutions. It has a retail storage brand called ZhiTai. Yangtze Memory successfully entered the latest "2025 Global Unicorn List" released by Hurun Research, ranking 9th among China's top 10 unicorns and 21st globally, becoming the highest-valued new unicorn in the semiconductor industry.
According to data previously released by Counterpoint Research, Yangtze Memory's share in global NAND shipments reached 10% for the first time in January to March 2025. It increased by four percentage points to 13% in July to September 2025.
Although currently, Yangtze Memory only accounts for 8% of the world market by sales, Counterpoint analyst MS Hwang believes that by 2027, it will reach 10% by sales.
Additionally, driven by the wave of artificial intelligence, international memory prices, including NAND flash, have been rising continuously in recent times. For Yangtze Memory, product price increases have directly boosted revenue and profit growth, and may also promote the process of technological self-reliance.
Yangtze Memory has already launched its third phase of layout and, in early September this year, established Changcun Third Phase (Wuhan) Integrated Circuit Co., Ltd. together with Hubei Changsheng Third Phase. The registered capital total is 20.72 billion yuan, with both parties contributing 10.4 billion yuan (holding 50.1931%) and 10.32 billion yuan (49.8069%), respectively, with Chen Nanxiang, chairman of Yangtze Memory, serving as the legal representative.
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Original: toutiao.com/article/7582104517265719850/
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