Samsung SK Hynix test Chinese chip tools as US hedge

South Korea's two largest memory chipmakers, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, have reportedly been evaluating chipmaking equipment from Chinese supplier Advanced Micro-Fabrication Equipment (AMEC) for potential use at their factories in China. According to sources familiar with the matter, the companies began testing AMEC's etching tools roughly two years ago as a strategic hedge against the risk of future tightening in U.S. export controls. Both Samsung and SK Hynix have publicly denied conducting such tests for their Chinese facilities.

The reported evaluations highlight how U.S. technology restrictions, designed to limit China's semiconductor advancement, are inadvertently creating opportunities for Chinese equipment makers to gain validation within foreign-owned chip plants operating in China. The primary motivation for the South Korean firms is not to expand manufacturing capacity but to safeguard existing production lines. Their concern centers on potential future U.S. rules that could restrict not only imports of new American equipment but also the servicing, repair, and replacement of Western tools already installed.

The regulatory landscape for these companies has...