U.S. lawmakers are calling for strong government regulations to reduce dependence on Chinese AI semiconductors.
On July 16, John Molena, the Republican chairman of the House China Special Committee, and Democratic Representative George Whitesides urged Commerce Secretary Howard Rutnik to block American companies from purchasing products from Chinese semiconductor firms Changxin Memory Technologies (CXMT) and Yangtze Memory Technologies (YMTC).
In a letter, the lawmakers warned that "reliance on Chinese memory semiconductors poses a serious threat to U.S. national, economic, and supply chain security."
Molena specifically expressed concern over recent moves by major U.S. technology companies, including Apple, to source Chinese memory amid a global DRAM supply shortage.
He criticized, "Chinese memory companies are closely linked to the Chinese military," adding that purchases by U.S. firms ultimately assist the development of key technologies for the People’s Liberation Army.
Earlier, the Financial Times reported that Apple has been lobbying the Trump administration to allow the use of CXMT products in its devices.
Currently, the U.S. Department of Defense has designated CXMT as a "Chinese military enterprise," but this designation does not impose direct restrictions on transactions with U.S. companies.
In response, the lawmakers are calling for practical regulatory measures that would completely ban the purchase of products from Chinese companies listed on the Defense Department's military enterprise list or the Commerce Department's export control blacklist (Entity List). They advocate for adding CXMT to the Entity List and increasing sanctions on the already listed YMTC.
The lawmakers also emphasized the need for collaboration with allies such as South Korea, Japan, and the European Union to establish a united front against Chinese companies exploiting global supply chain shortages.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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