Pentagon now considers China’s 3D NAND maker YMTC a ‘military company’ — designation bars company from using US-designed chipmaking equipment

The Pentagon has designated several Chinese technology firms, including Yangtze Memory Technologies Corp. (YMTC), as ‘military companies’ due to national security risks, leading to a ban on the U.S. military from purchasing devices featuring their chips and restricting these companies from buying advanced chipmaking equipment based on U.S. intellectual property. SMIC Hong Kong International Co. Ltd. was excluded from the list, raising questions about its eligibility for Defense Department contracts. SMIC and YMTC are also on the Entity List of the U.S. Department of Commerce, limiting their access to advanced U.S. technologies.