Trump team seeks to toughen chip controls over China

The Trump administration intends to strengthen semiconductor restrictions on China, furthering and broadening the Biden administration’s initiatives to curtail Beijing’s technological capabilities, Bloomberg News reported on Monday.

U.S. officials recently engaged with their Japanese and Dutch counterparts regarding limitations on Tokyo Electron, opens new tab and ASML, opens new tab engineers from servicing semiconductor equipment in China, according to the report.

According to the report, some Trump officials also seek to tighten the limitations on the number and categories of Nvidia chips that can be sent to China without a license, as stated by sources familiar with the situation.

A representative from Nvidia and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan chose not to provide comments. Tokyo Electron, ASML, the White House, and the Dutch foreign trade ministry did not promptly reply to Reuters’ inquiries for comment.

Trump’s aim is to have crucial allies join the U.S. in enforcing limitations on China, akin to those imposed on American chip equipment firms like Lam Research, KLA (KLAC.O), and Applied Materials, according to the report.