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U.S. reportedly eases chip equipment export restriction for Samsung, SK hynix plants in China

Published: 30 Dec. 2025, 20:10 Updated: 31 Dec. 2025, 14:25

Samsung Electronics' headquarters in Seocho District, southern Seoul, is seen on Dec. 16. [YONHAP]

Washington has eased export restrictions on shipments of U.S.-made semiconductor equipment to China-based plants of Korean chipmakers Samsung Electronics and SK hynix, industry sources said Tuesday.

According to the sources, the U.S. Commerce Department's Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) has revised its policy to allow exports of chip equipment to the Chinese plants of the two companies under yearly approvals, instead of requiring individual licenses for each shipment.

Previously, Samsung Electronics' Xian plant and SK hynix's plants in Wuxi and Dalian had been granted "validated end user" (VEU) status, which allowed them to import U.S. equipment without separate licensing procedures.

However, the BIS announced in August that it would remove the three plants from the VEU list. Under the measure, the companies would have been required to seek approval from Washington each time they shipped U.S.-made equipment to China starting Wednesday.

Instead, U.S. authorities have now decided to adopt a system under which companies submit annual plans identifying the types and quantities of equipment needed, with approvals made on a yearly basis.

The SK hynix logo is seen at the company's headquarters in Icheon, Gyeonggi, on Oct. 29, 2025. [YONHAP]

Industry watchers see the new system as significantly less burdensome than the previous per-shipment licensing process. Washington had previously estimated that revoking the VEU status could have resulted in up to 1,000 individual license applications per year.

According to industry sources, both Samsung Electronics and SK hynix have reportedly received U.S. approval for their equipment import plans for 2026.

Yonhap