US Sanctions Chinese Chip Suppliers
The United States on Friday imposed sanctions on two Chinese firms accused of procuring American chipmaking equipment for the country’s top semiconductor manufacturer, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC).
In a statement, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced that 32 additional entities have been placed on the restricted trade list, including 23 based in China, Reuters reported.
GMC Semiconductor Technology (Wuxi) Co. and Zikun Semiconductor Technology were added to the list for supplying equipment to SMIC’s northern integrated circuit manufacturing branch and its Beijing unit. Both companies had already been listed previously, requiring export licenses for the purchase of U.S. equipment—licenses that were generally denied.
Additionally, Shanghai Fudan Microelectronics Technology Co. and several affiliated firms were also blacklisted. Washington stated that these companies had supported “China’s military modernization, high-performance computing, and integrated manufacturing,” directly providing technology to China’s military and security sectors.
The U.S. further alleged that Shanghai Fudan Microelectronics supplied technology to Russia’s military, prompting additional sanctions against the company.
The updated list also includes several firms from India, Iran, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.
