Chen Nanxiang, the head of China’s 3D NAND champion Yangtze River Memory Technologies (YMTC), which was put on the U.S. trade blacklist late last year, has called on wafer-fabrication equipment makers to buy back tools the company can’t use. In a keynote speech at semicon china He also warned at the conference that the global semiconductor industry is entering a period of turmoil and turmoil due to rising geopolitical tensions.
please buy back
according to bloombergYMTC Chairman and CEO Chen Nanxiang speaks in Shanghai, China to speak directly to machine suppliers and how they should buy back legally purchased equipment and components if they cannot be used. told about .
Recently, many companies have curtailed spending on wafer fab equipment, while chip fab equipment makers have a huge backlog of orders, so if YMTC really wants to get rid of these equipment, fab Selling the device may not be a problem.
The YMTC was attacked twice by the US government last year.
In October, YMTC was blocked from acquiring wafer fab equipment (WFE) with US technology needed to manufacture 3D NAND with 128 layers or more. Extensive sanctions imposed by the U.S. government About the Chinese semiconductor industry. The restriction also requires US citizens to obtain a license from the US Department of Commerce to support the development or production of such memory devices in China. As a result, four prominent chip manufacturing tool companies, ASML, Applied Materials, KLA and Lam Research, have stopped doing business with YMTC due to the need to obtain relevant export licenses from the DoC.
In December, the YMTC was placed on the U.S. DoC Entity List, preventing it from sourcing equipment, software, and other technology from U.S.-based companies (or other companies selling U.S.-developed technology). Unless the latter obtains a special export license from the DoC. Such licenses will be reviewed on the basis of denial.
As a result of the two hits, YMTC has the latest tools from WFE producers needed to produce 232-layer 3D NAND, a type of memory that can power some of the best SSDs with PCIe. can no longer be obtained, installed, or used. 5.0 interface. Additionally, the company has problems maintaining existing tools. Some analysts believe that Yangtze Memory may need to abandon 3D NAND production and turn into a dedicated 2D NAND maker or even a contract chip maker.
confusion and disorder
Mr. Chen said that globalization is effectively over and that previously established rules, balance and harmony have collapsed. This change is projected to have a significant impact on supply chains, industry practices and business models. YTMC leaders believe that key aspects of globalization are being affected, including competition, innovation and the free movement of talent and resources.
According to reports via Nikkei newspaperMr. Chen believes that globalization is over and that government intervention, existing rules and the equilibrium of the past have now collapsed. Chen went on to say that the semiconductor industry could be going through a period of turmoil. A period of time that can significantly impact supply chains and industry practices.
The CEO and chairman of a troubled 3D NAND maker stressed the importance of global cooperation in the semiconductor industry. He stressed that the complex chip supply chain involves 25 countries, with indirect ties to 23 others.
Chen also pointed out that the Chinese and US semiconductor markets, benefiting from the contributions of foreign investors and inventors, do not belong only to their respective countries, but are global assets. Similarly, he brought up the example of NAND flash memory, invented by Japan’s Toshiba in the 1980s and perfected by South Korea-based Samsung and SK Hynix.
