by David Manners
The U.S. Department of Commerce has put Fujian Jin Hua Integrated Circuit (JHICC) on a list of companies that cannot purchase components, software and technology goods from U.S. firms without a license.
”When a foreign company engages in activity contrary to our national security interests we will take strong action to to protect our national security,” says Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, adding that “the action will limit the company’s ability to ‘threaten the supply chain for essential components in our military systems.”
Fujian Jin Hua is currently equipping a fab in Jinjiang with the intention of running DRAM wafers. The $5.3 billion fab is initially to make DRAM on a 32nm process supplied by UMC at a run-rate of 60k wpm.
Micron is currently suing Fujian Jin Hua and UMC for stealing its IP. Micron alleges that two of its former employees copied details of Micron’s production processes into USB sticks and gave them to UMC which hired them.
Micron called it “one of the boldest schemes of commercial espionage in recent times.”
The DoC move could be a negotiating ploy in the current trade negotiations with China.