Apple has halted plans to buy 128-layer 3D NAND flash memory chips from Yangtze Memory Technologies (YMTC) for use in iPhones as Washington added YMTC and 30 other Chinese entities to an “Unverified” list of companies.
Apple was intending to buy the 3D NAND flash memory chips from the Chinese-state owned company and eventually had plans to purchase 40% of the chips needed for all iPhones.
However, after going through a months-long process for memory certification, Washington added YMTC, among others, to its “Unverified” list, prohibiting US companies from dealing with them in any way, unless with a license.
The controls imposed on Chinese companies which fail to provide information within 60 days have put Beijing under a lot of pressure.
Failure to provide necessary information to the US puts them under investigation and on the backlist. The YMTC is under investigation for violating export controls by selling chips to Huawei, already on the backlist, Nikkei Asia reported.
In conclusion, the export controls imposed by the Biden administration intend to slow down China’s technological and military advances by cutting off Beijing’s supplies from certain semiconductor chips made with US equipment.
Apple Inc. is an American multinational technology company specializing in consumer electronics, software, and online services headquartered in Cupertino, California, United States.
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