The United States had been expected to extend a waiver granted to the South Korean chipmakers on a requirement for licenses to bring US chip equipment into China. “Uncertainties about South Korean semiconductor firms’ operations and investments in China have been greatly eased; they will be able to calmly seek long-term global management strategies,” said Choi Sang-mok, senior presidential secretary for economic affairs.
Samsung and SK Hynix, the world’s largest and second-largest memory chipmakers, have invested billions of dollars in their chip production facilities in China and welcomed the move. “Through close coordination with relevant governments, uncertainties related to the operation of our semiconductor manufacturing lines in China have been significantly removed,” Samsung said in a statement.