SEOUL: The US government has granted an annual license to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing to import US chip manufacturing equipment to its facilities in Nanjing, China, according to the chipmaker.
The approval “ensures uninterrupted fab operations and product deliveries”, the company said in a statement to Reuters yesterday.
TSMC joins South Korea’s Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix in gaining approval for shipments of US chipmaking tools to China.
Those Asian companies had benefited from exemptions to Washington’s sweeping restrictions on chip-related exports to China.
But the privilege known as validated end-user status expired on Dec 31, meaning shipments of American equipment to chipmakers’ factories in China from 2026 would require US export licences.
“The US Department of Commerce has granted TSMC Nanjing an annual export licence that allows US export-controlled items to be supplied to TSMC Nanjing without the need for individual vendor licenses,” TSMC said in a statement to Reuters.
“This license, issued before the Dec 31, 2025 expiration of existing Validated End-User authorisation, ensures uninterrupted fab operations and product deliveries,” it said. — Reuters
