The South Korean government said on Monday that the country’s semiconductor manufacturers have secured waivers from U.S. government rules that threatened to limit their businesses in China. At issue is the continuation of licenses granted last year by the U.S. Commerce Department to Samsung and SK Hynix, the two dominant South Korean chip makers. The licenses effectively suspended 2022 controls on exports of semiconductors and chip making equipment to China. South Korea, an ally in America’s chip war with China, relies heavily on its semiconductor sector for jobs and revenue.…
Tag: Hynix Semiconductor
What the U.S.-China Chip War Means for a Critical American Ally
Samsung and SK Hynix, the semiconductor titans of South Korea, have spent over $52 billion to build up their operations in China. Business with China has long made up a sizable portion of their sales. But the ties between South Korea’s chip companies and China are under strain from geopolitics. South Korea, which relies heavily on its semiconductor sector for jobs and revenue, is wedged between China and the United States, South Korea’s longstanding ally, in their trade war over technology. To curb China’s access to advanced chips that could…
Chip Makers, Once in High Demand, Confront Sudden Challenges
A few months ago, makers of computer chips seemed on top of the world. Customers could not get enough of the small slices of silicon, which act as the brains of computers and are needed in just about every device with an on-off switch. Demand was so strong — and U.S. dependence on a foreign manufacturer so worrying — that Democrats and Republicans agreed in July on a $52 billion subsidy package that included grants to build new chip factories in America. U.S. chip makers such as Intel, Micron Technology,…