▲ SMIC employees.(Photo/CFP)
The Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) of the U.S. Department of Commerce issued the latest export control regulations on advanced computing chips (chips, the same below) and semiconductor manufacturing items on the 7th local time, restricting the export of advanced semiconductor technology to China, and restricting "Americans" from "supporting, developing and producing" advanced semiconductors in China. After the new regulations were issued, some Chinese factories lost their equipment due to the loss of American engineers, and some semiconductor production lines were in the predicament of finding substitutes.
The Economic Observer reported that U.S. -based upstream semiconductor equipment manufacturers were directly hurt, and they were unable to export and maintain advanced equipment to Chinese companies. Companies that design downstream chips will need to apply for a license from the United States if they purchase or contract some advanced semiconductor technology within China that falls within the scope of the new rules.
An employee of an American equipment manufacturer revealed on the 17th that one week after the United States semiconductor export control regulations came into effect, individual equipment of a China customer stopped running."The maintenance of the machine on the production line is usually done by the supplier. After the engineers of American enterprises withdraw, some equipment will stop running because there are no parts, and other equipment has backup in individual modules, but no one will change it, and no one will adjust the equipment."
Until October 11, some American semiconductor equipment manufacturers, which are also suppliers of advanced semiconductor factories in China, had their engineers leave their factories in China one after another. A relevant person of the American equipment manufacturer pointed out that this was the requirement of the headquarters to the engineers in China."After the United States issued the ban, the head office successively notified Chinese customers that the relevant new equipment would stop selling to China, and the sold equipment would not be taken back, but would not be maintained."
▲ SMIC Shanghai Head Office, the first share of China Kechuang Board.(Photo/CFP)
According to the new regulations issued by the United States, the advanced production lines of three state-owned semiconductor enterprises, including SMIC, Changjiang Storage and Changxin Storage, will no longer be able to import the restricted U.S. semiconductor equipment, and it will be difficult to find substitutes.
However, China is an indispensable sales market for U.S. semiconductor companies, and the U.S. sanctions also have an impact on local companies. It is understood that the U.S. manufacturers subject to the new regulations are mainly KLA and Lam Research and Applied Materials, among others, have lost opportunities to serve the Chinese market under the new rules.
U.S. equipment maker Applied Materials gets 33% of its sales from China, Lam Research 31% and KLA about 30%.
Regarding the new United States semiconductor export regulations, Mao Ning, spokesman for the China Ministry of Foreign Affairs, once said that the United States abused export control measures to maliciously blockade and suppress Chinese enterprises out of the need to maintain scientific and technological hegemony."This practice deviates from the principle of fair competition and violates international economic and trade rules. It not only harms the legitimate rights and interests of Chinese enterprises, but also affects the rights and interests of American enterprises."
Mao Ning stressed that this practice hinders international scientific and technological exchanges and economic and trade cooperation, and will have an impact on the stability of the global industrial chain supply chain and the recovery of the world economy."The US politicizes, instrumentalizes and weaponizes scientific and technological and economic and trade issues, which cannot stop China 's development, but will only block itself and backfire itself."
