Posts Tagged: China’s

Japan joins US-led effort to restrict China’s access to chipmaking equipment

Japan is officially moving forward with restrictions aimed at limiting China’s access to advanced chipmaking machinery. As CNN reports, the country announced Friday it would tighten export controls on 23 types of semiconductor manufacturing equipment. Once the new rules take effect in July, companies like Nikon and Tokyo Electron will need to obtain approval from Japan’s trade ministry if they want to sell their tools in some 160 territories across the world. A Japanese government spokesperson told CNN the restrictions aren’t designed to target a specific nation. However, Japan’s east asian rival is among the nations on the restricted list.

“We will fulfill our responsibilities in the international community as a technology-owning country and contribute to maintaining international peace and security,” Yasutoshi Nishimura, Japan’s minister of economy, trade and industry, told reporters.

The restrictions follow the US and Netherlands enacting similar export controls. At the start of the year, the three countries reportedly reached an agreement to limit China’s access to western-made lithography machines. In March, the Netherlands made good on the deal, announcing it would restrict overseas sales of semiconductor technology in the interest of its national security. Those restrictions will affect ASML. As of last year, the Dutch firm was the only company in the world producing the extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) machines chipmakers need to make the 5nm and 3nm semiconductors that power the latest phones and computers.

China has homegrown firms capable of making up some of the shortfall the country’s tech industry will experience from the lack of access to western-made lithography equipment. However, it may take some time before those companies match the capacity of their American, Japanese and European rivals. According to research from Reuters, Shanghai Micro Electronics Equipment (SMEE), China’s only producer of lithography equipment, makes machines capable of printing 90nm node semiconductors. More promising is the work of SMIC, the country’s leading semiconductor manufacturer. Last summer, it began volume production of 14nm chips and began making 7nm chips without access to foreign-made equipment.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/japan-joins-us-led-effort-to-restrict-chinas-access-to-chipmaking-equipment-214602553.html?src=rss
Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

US, Netherlands and Japan reportedly agree to limit China’s access to chipmaking equipment

The Biden administration has reportedly reached an agreement with the Netherlands and Japan to restrict China’s access to advanced chipmaking machinery. According to Bloomberg, officials from the two countries agreed on Friday to adopt some of the same export controls the US has used over the last year to prevent companies like NVIDIA from selling their latest technologies in China. The agreement would reportedly see export controls imposed on companies that produce lithography systems, including ASML and Nikon.

Bloomberg reports the US, Netherlands and Japan don’t plan to announce the agreement publicly. Moreover, implementation could take “months” while the countries work to hammer out the legal details. “Talks are ongoing, for a long time already, but we don’t communicate about this. And if something would come out of this, it is questionable if this will be made very visible,” said Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Friday, responding to a question about the negotiations.

According to Bloomberg, the agreement will cover “at least” some of ASML’s immersion lithography machines. As of last year, ASML was the only company in the world producing the extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) machines chipmakers need to make the 5nm and 3nm semiconductors that power the latest smartphones and computers. Cutting off China from ASML’s products is an effort by the Biden administration to freeze the country’s domestic chip industry. Last summer, Chinese state media reported that SMIC, China’s leading semiconductor manufacturer, had begun volume production of 14nm chips and had successfully started making 7nm silicon without access to foreign chip-making equipment. China has said SMIC is working on making 5nm semiconductors, but it’s unclear how the company will do that without access to EUV machines.

Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics

China’s new AI trade rules could hamper a TikTok sale

TikTok’s attempt to sell itself and avert a possible US ban may run into some complications. The Wall Street Journal reports that China has unveiled new restrictions on AI technology exports that could affect TikTok. The new rules bar the exports of…
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China’s TikTok and WeChat apps face US ban thanks to Trump’s latest Executive Orders

As it so often does, the United States’ ongoing feud with China has kicked on a step with President Trump’s signing of an Executive Order that prohibits the US from doing business with TikTok, WeChat, and their owners. It’s a move that is guaranteed to ramp up the rhetoric between the two nations as they […]

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China’s Alipay will add beauty filters when you pay with your face

We all know how startling it can be to accidentally open a front-facing camera and find your own unassuming face looking back at you. Now, imagine if you saw that image every time you made a purchase. In China, Alibaba's e-wallet affiliate Alipay wil…
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China’s first private satellite launch ends in failure

China's young private spaceflight industry has enjoyed some success, but it's still facing setbacks. The first private attempt at a satellite launch failed on October 27th when the third stage of LandSpace's Zhuque-1 rocket didn't reach orbit. It's…
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China’s ride-hailing service Didi Chuxing recruits drivers in Mexico

In December, Reuters reported that China's Didi Chuxing ride-hailing company would be expanding its business into Mexico, taking on rival Uber, which has the largest foothold in the country. Now, Reuters reports that the company is actively recruitin…
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US continues to blacklist China’s eBay over counterfeit goods

Chinese e-commerce behemoth Alibaba's counterfeit goods problem refuses to go away. Despite noting improvements on takedown efforts, the Office of the US Trade Representative has again blacklisted Alibaba's eBay-like Taobao shopping site.
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Thieves swipe a portion of China’s solar road

Solar roads have plenty of potential problems, such as damage and snow, but theft? Apparently that's a concern, too. China's Qilu Evening News reported that thieves carved out a small (5.9in by 73in) portion of an experimental road in Jinan on Janu…
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China’s first space station will fall to Earth, but where will it land?

After six years of service in testing systems for a future larger station, China’s prototype station dubbed “Heavenly Palace” will fall back to Earth sometime in 2017. Where will it land? We don’t know yet.

The post China’s first space station will fall to Earth, but where will it land? appeared first on Digital Trends.

Cool Tech–Digital Trends

Drones, Apple clones, and a robot named Pudding at China’s first-ever CE Week

Big names like Sony, Samsung and even Huawei sat out China’s first CE Week, but the smattering of smaller brands in attendance showed off an amusing array of oddities.

The post Drones, Apple clones, and a robot named Pudding at China’s first-ever CE Week appeared first on Digital Trends.

Wearables–Digital Trends

China’s realistic robot Jia Jia can chat with real humans

The University of Science and Technology of China has recently unveiled an eerily realistic robot named Jia Jia. While she looks more human-like than that creepy ScarJo robot, you'll probably still find yourself plunging head first into the uncanny v…
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China’s recently-completed Shanghai Tower is now the second tallest building in the world

Trailing only Dubai’s Burj Khalifa in terms of height, construction on the Taiwanese skyscraper known as Shanghai Tower recently completed on the small Chinese island. The San Francisco-based architecture firm Gensler built the structure.

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Cool Tech–Digital Trends