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The Trump administration has told US companies that offer software used to design semiconductors to stop selling their services to Chinese groups, in the latest attempt to make it harder for China to develop advanced chips.
Several people familiar with the move said the commerce department had told Electronic Design Automation groups, which include Cadence, Synopsys and Siemens EDA, to stop supplying their technology to China.
The Bureau of Industry and Security, the arm of the US commerce department that oversees export controls, issued the directive to the companies via letters, according to the people. It was unclear if every US EDA had received a letter.
The move marks a significant new effort by the US administration to stymie China’s ability to develop leading-edge artificial intelligence chips, as it seeks a technological advantage over its geopolitical rival. In April, the administration restricted the export of Nvidia’s China-specific AI chips.
A commerce department official said it was “reviewing exports of strategic significance to China”.
“In some cases, commerce has suspended existing export licenses or imposed additional license requirements while the review is pending,” said a commerce department official.
While it accounts for a relatively small share of the overall semiconductor industry, EDA software allows chip designers and manufacturers to develop and test the next generation of chips, making it a critical part in the supply chain.
Synopsys, Cadence Design Systems and Siemens EDA account for about 80 per cent of China’s EDA market.
In 2022, the Biden administration introduced restrictions on sales of the most sophisticated chip design software to China, but the companies continued to sell export control-compliant products to the country.
