Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are reportedly testing equipment from China's AMEC to mitigate the risk of U.S. export restrictions.
BlockBeats News, August 5th, according to Reuters, three sources familiar with the matter said that Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are evaluating China's AMEC's etching equipment to consider for use in their Chinese factories, in response to the escalating U.S. restrictions on chip equipment exports. The two companies began relevant tests around two years ago, but have not yet decided to expand deployment.
Sources said Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are concerned that future restrictions could extend from new equipment to the maintenance, repair, and replacement of existing Western equipment in their Chinese factories. Therefore, they see Chinese suppliers as a backup option to sustain and upgrade their current production lines, rather than for expanding production capacity in China. Samsung Electronics denied testing or considering the use of AMEC equipment in their Chinese factories, while SK Hynix declined to comment.
In 2025, the U.S. revoked the "validated end-user" status for the two companies' Chinese factories, then issued annual licenses for their 2026 import of chip manufacturing equipment. Samsung Electronics operates an NAND plant in Xi'an, while SK Hynix operates NAND plants in Dalian and DRAM plant in Wuxi. These production lines currently heavily rely on etching equipment from U.S. manufacturers such as Applied Materials and Lam Research.
If AMEC's equipment eventually gets certified by Samsung Electronics or SK Hynix, it would represent a significant commercial endorsement for Chinese semiconductor equipment manufacturers. TechInsights data shows that Chinese equipment prices are usually 20% to 30% lower than similar overseas products, but face challenges such as longer certification periods, smaller service networks, intellectual property concerns, and political pressure.
Impacted by this news, according to Bitget data, AMEC's stock surged over 13% today, now trading at 361.36 RMB.
