Taiwan Semiconductor secures annual U.S. license to keep Nanjing chip plant supplied with American equipment
The U.S. government granted Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) an annual license to import U.S.-made chipmaking equipment into its facilities in Nanjing, China, the company said on Thursday, January 1.
The approval allowed U.S. export-controlled items to be supplied to TSMC’s Nanjing operation without requiring individual licenses for each vendor, and was intended to keep production and deliveries running without interruption.
Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix also received similar import licenses, after earlier exemptions tied to Washington’s chip-related export restrictions to China expired on December 31, pushing major Asian chipmakers to apply for licenses covering 2026.
TSMC’s Nanjing fab produced 16-nanometer and other “mature node” chips, rather than the company’s most advanced semiconductors. In its 2024 annual report, TSMC said the Nanjing site generated about 2.4% of overall revenue.
The decision came under a broader U.S. export-control framework that tightened rules around advanced computing and certain semiconductor manufacturing items tied to China-related end uses.
