White House Quietly Bans 14nm and Below Chip Manufacturing Equipment from being Sold to Communist China

Two major U.S. chip equipment suppliers, Lam Research and KLA, said on July 30 local time that they were notified that they are restricted from exporting sub-14 nanometer chip manufacturing equipment to Communist China, underscoring ongoing U.S. efforts to curb CCP ambitions.

Previously, the U.S. banned equipment suppliers from selling 10nm or less manufacturing equipment to SMIC without a license. The standard has now been expanded to 14nm and the ban is no longer limited to SMIC, but also includes other manufacturers operating chips in Communist China, such as TSMC.

It is known that all U.S. equipment suppliers have received letters from the U.S. Department of Commerce in the past two weeks asking them not to supply 14nm or below chip manufacturing equipment to Communist China. In addition, the Biden administration is pushing partner countries such as the Netherlands and Japan to ban the sale of mainstream technology essential in making most of the world’s chips to Communist China.

Analysts said the ban is similar to banning a whole generation of chip manufacturing equipment from entering Communist China, and is a huge invisible resistance to the development of chips in Communist China.