Chips Act incentives limit expansion of semiconductor manufacturing capacity in China by 5 pct

By Byun Duk-kun

WASHINGTON, March 21 (Yonhap) -- The U.S. CHIPS and Science Act will limit to 5 percent the expansion of semiconductor manufacturing capacity in foreign countries of concern for companies that receive funds under the new act, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced Tuesday.

The proposed regulations provide some relief to South Korean manufacturers, namely Samsung Electronics Co. and SK hynix Inc. that currently have manufacturing facilities in China.

"The statute prohibits significant transactions involving the material expansion of semiconductor manufacturing capacity for leading-edge and advanced facilities in foreign countries of concern for 10 years from the date of award to stop recipients from constructing new or expanding existing leading-edge and advanced technology facilities in those countries," said a related regulation announced by the commerce department.

"Today's proposed rule defines significant transactions based on a monetary level of $100,000 and defines material expansion as increasing a facility's production capacity by five percent," it added.

The foreign countries of concern are China, Russia, Iran and North Korea, according to the regulations.

It was earlier feared that the CHIPS Act may limit the South Korean companies from producing new and more advanced semiconductors in China.

"It seems we may have avoided the worst case," a related company official said.

The act offers up to US$52.7 billion in subsidies to chipmakers that invest in new production facilities in the U.S., but prohibits "significant" expansion of manufacturing capacity of recipients in the named foreign countries of concern.

The proposed regulations allow the U.S. government to claw back the "entire funding" awarded to any recipient that violates the 10-year, 5-percent expansion limit.

bdk@yna.co.kr
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