US approves Samsung, SK Hynix chipmaking tool shipments to China for 2026, sources say

Group 1 - The U.S. government has granted an annual license to Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix to import chip manufacturing equipment to their facilities in China for 2026, providing temporary relief for these South Korean firms [1][2] - The annual approval system for exports of chipmaking tools to China was introduced by Washington, following the end of the validated end user status on December 31, which previously allowed certain companies to ship American chipmaking tools without licenses [2][3] - Samsung and SK Hynix are significant players in the memory chip market, with China being a key production base, especially for traditional memory chips, which have seen price surges due to increased demand from AI data centers and supply constraints [4]