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The US has launched a probe into alleged anti-competitive measures by China to help its semiconductor business, simply weeks earlier than the Biden administration palms over to president-elect Donald Trump.
The US Commerce Consultant’s workplace mentioned it was investigating “China’s acts, insurance policies and practices associated to focusing on of the semiconductor business for dominance”.
The probe might be carried out below Part 301 of the US Commerce Act and initially goal what the USTR referred to as “foundational” semiconductors, together with these utilized by the automotive, healthcare, infrastructure, aerospace and defence industries.
It marks the newest in a worsening tit-for-tat commerce warfare over semiconductors, sparking fears of significant disruptions to worldwide provide chains.
Potential outcomes of a Part 301 investigation embody import restrictions or new tariffs on shipments from China of the sorts of chips utilized in automobiles, family home equipment and client gadgets — a choice that may fall to the Trump administration.
Washington on Monday accused China of utilizing “intensive anti-competitive and non-market means, together with setting and pursuing market share targets, to realize indigenisation and self-sufficiency”. China’s alleged techniques had been designed to realize dominance of the semiconductor business in China and on international markets, the USTR mentioned.
The Chinese language overseas ministry didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
After a number of years of focusing its semiconductor insurance policies on essentially the most cutting-edge processors crucial for creating superior synthetic intelligence, Washington is popping its consideration extra to the mature finish of the market, with chips manufactured utilizing what the business calls “legacy” manufacturing techniques.
Makers of superior chip manufacturing tools, equivalent to ASML, are already restricted from promoting their most subtle instruments to Chinese language chipmakers, holding again China’s advances in AI and curbing its efforts to construct a rival to Silicon Valley-based Nvidia.
Nevertheless, that has not prevented Chinese language chipmakers from making large investments to scale up manufacturing of legacy semiconductors. Some analysts estimate that China is on observe to double its chip manufacturing capability by the tip of the last decade, boosted by subsidies from Beijing.
US and European semiconductor executives have warned that native chipmakers may undergo from the identical sort of issues that the flood of low-cost Chinese language photo voltaic panel imports has triggered western producers in recent times. Counting on Chinese language suppliers may additionally create nationwide safety points for the US, officers worry.
Typically missed amid the hype round AI, the importance of legacy semiconductors grew to become obvious through the Covid-19 pandemic, when manufacturing unit shutdowns triggered widespread shortages of on a regular basis digital items.
A report by the US Department of Commerce earlier this month discovered that China’s current improve in manufacturing of mature-node semiconductors “has already begun to trigger pricing strain which will weaken US chip suppliers’ aggressive positions”.
Greater than two-thirds of US firms’ merchandise use chips produced in Chinese language foundries, the report mentioned.
China has for many years seen its dependence on the US and different nations as a elementary nationwide safety vulnerability. Nevertheless it has struggled to shake its reliance on overseas firms for the important thing design and manufacturing applied sciences wanted to make more and more subtle chips.
Earlier this month, Washington issued new export controls focusing on China’s potential to take advantage of superior chips, together with more durable restrictions on transport semiconductor manufacturing instruments and a ban on exports of superior reminiscence chips wanted in AI {hardware}.
Beijing swiftly hit again, banning the cargo to the US of key minerals and metals utilized in chip manufacturing. It additionally opened its personal investigation into Nvidia for suspected violations of the nation’s anti-monopoly legislation.
