U.S. tightens chip controls
U.S. lawmakers have introduced the MATCH Act to further restrict China’s access to advanced semiconductor‑manufacturing equipment, and the FCC is weighing a proposal to ban testing of certain Chinese gear. (digitimes.com) Reporting also suggests the export controls are leaking: documents say about $92 million in banned AI chips moved from Super Micro to a little‑known Chinese tech company, and ASML equipment remains a sensitive target for restrictions. (zerohedge.com) (wccftech.com)
Washington is moving on two fronts to tighten China tech controls: Congress has proposed new chip-tool export limits, and the Federal Communications Commission plans an April 30 vote on Chinese testing labs. (congress.gov) (usnews.com) A semiconductor plant is a factory that prints circuits onto silicon, and the most advanced tools are lithography machines that work like ultra-precise projectors. The new bill, called the Maintaining American Technological Competitiveness Against China Act, or MATCH Act, would push more of those tools under United States export controls. (bloomberg.com) (congress.gov) Reuters reported on April 3 that a bipartisan group of lawmakers drafted the measure to cover foreign suppliers such as ASML and Tokyo Electron alongside United States firms. The proposal focuses on equipment used by China’s top chipmakers and would tighten rules around sales and servicing. (msn.com) (money.usnews.com) The tool at the center of the fight is deep ultraviolet lithography, an older ASML system that still helps produce advanced chips when used with enough engineering workarounds. Reuters said investors sent ASML shares lower on April 7 after the proposal surfaced, reflecting how exposed China sales remain to any broader ban. (cnbc.com) (money.usnews.com) ASML said in its 2025 results that total net sales reached 32.7 billion euros, and industry reporting said China accounted for 33% of its 2025 sales, down from 41% a year earlier. That helps explain why older lithography tools, not just the most advanced extreme ultraviolet systems already blocked, have become a policy target. (asml.com) (trendforce.com) The Federal Communications Commission is pursuing a separate choke point: product testing. Reuters reported on April 8 that the agency will vote this month on a proposal to bar all Chinese labs from testing smartphones, cameras and computers for the United States market after previously blocking 23 labs tied to the Chinese government. (usnews.com) (docs.fcc.gov) The push comes as reporting suggests existing export controls are still porous. Bloomberg reported on April 10 that invoices and Chinese government records showed Shenzhen-based Sharetronic sold 276 Super Micro systems containing Nvidia H100 or H200 processors to a local subsidiary for 632 million yuan, about $92 million. (finance.yahoo.com) (theedgesingapore.com) Bloomberg said Sharetronic denied any business relationship with Super Micro and said it complies with hardware rules. The report followed United States charges against a Super Micro co-founder over alleged chip smuggling to China, adding a fresh enforcement test for Washington’s controls. (bloomberg.com) (finance.yahoo.com) Congressional researchers wrote in September 2025 that United States controls had restricted some advanced semiconductor activity but left other parts of the supply chain open to China. The new bill and the Federal Communications Commission vote both aim at those remaining gaps: factory tools on one side, product certification on the other. (congress.gov) (usnews.com)
