CXMT Sues Pentagon Over Military Company Designation

ChangXin Memory Technologies, China's largest manufacturer of DRAM memory chips, has filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Defense, seeking to overturn its designation as a Chinese military company. The legal challenge, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on August 28, 2026, names Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and other senior officials as defendants and contests the company's placement on the Pentagon's Section 1260H list.

The company argues that the classification is arbitrary, lacks evidentiary support, and violates due process rights. In its filing, CXMT stated it is not affiliated with the Chinese military and designs, produces, and sells its DRAM chips for civilian and commercial use, not for military applications. The chips are used in smartphones, personal computers, servers, artificial intelligence systems, and other electronics.

The lawsuit follows a contentious history with the designation. The Pentagon first added CXMT to the list in January 2025 under the Biden administration. In February 2026, the department briefly published a notice indicating CXMT would be removed, but the notice was withdrawn the same day, leaving the...