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US Lawmakers Urge Tighter Curbs on China Chip Tools

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U.S. lawmakers are pressing for stricter export controls to limit China’s access to advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment, warning that existing gaps pose risks to national security. In a bipartisan letter, senior members of the House called on the State and Commerce Departments to pursue broader, countrywide restrictions in coordination with allied nations.

House Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar and House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Brian Mast urged tighter controls on key chipmaking tools and subcomponents that China cannot produce domestically. The letter was addressed to Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, and called for restrictions not only on new equipment sales but also on servicing existing tools operating in Chinese facilities.

Lawmakers argue that maintenance and software updates are critical for advanced chipmaking systems to remain operational, and limiting such support could slow China’s semiconductor progress. The request comes amid concerns that Beijing is accelerating imports of foreign-made equipment essential for producing high-end chips.

The debate has intensified following reports that Chinese researchers have developed a prototype lithography machine modeled on extreme ultraviolet systems produced by ASML. EUV lithography tools are considered crucial for manufacturing the most advanced chips used in artificial intelligence, smartphones, and defense systems.

Congressional leaders have asked the administration to provide a strategy briefing within a month outlining how it plans to secure allied cooperation on expanded export controls. The move reflects growing bipartisan consensus in Washington that semiconductor supply chains remain a central front in U.S.–China technological competition.

SiTime Tech Could Be Used in Billions of Renesas Chips

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SiTime’s technology could ultimately be embedded in billions of chips made by Japan’s Renesas, SiTime’s chief executive said, following a landmark acquisition deal between the two firms. SiTime shares surged nearly 18% after the company announced a transaction worth up to $3.2 billion to acquire timing assets from Renesas.

SiTime expects the acquired assets to generate about $300 million in revenue in the first year after the deal closes, anticipated by the end of 2026—nearly doubling the company’s fiscal 2025 sales. The agreement also brings Renesas CEO Hidetoshi Shibata onto SiTime’s board and includes plans for Renesas to integrate SiTime’s timing technology into its chips.

At the center of the deal is SiTime’s resonator technology, which is smaller and more resilient to temperature changes than traditional solutions. That makes it especially suitable for automotive applications, a core market for Renesas microcontrollers. SiTime CEO Rajesh Vashist said the collaboration could result in the first microcontrollers that require no external timing components.

While revenue impact will take time due to design, qualification, and production cycles, Vashist said the scale could be vast. If widely adopted across Renesas products, the technology could be integrated into billions of chips over the coming years, marking a major expansion opportunity for SiTime.

Nvidia Supplier Wistron Says AI Boom Is Not a Bubble

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Artificial intelligence is not a speculative bubble and demand linked to the technology will continue to accelerate, according to Wistron chairman Simon Lin. Speaking in Taipei, Lin said AI-related order growth in 2026 is expected to exceed last year’s levels, reflecting what he described as a structural shift rather than a temporary surge.

Wistron, a key supplier to Nvidia, sees strong demand extending well into 2027. Lin said the company expects “significant” growth this year compared with the previous one, adding that AI is already transforming a wide range of industries and marking the beginning of a new technological era.

The company is expanding its manufacturing footprint in the United States to support Nvidia’s long-term AI ambitions. Wistron said new U.S. facilities are on track to be ready in 2026, with volume production starting in the first half of this year. Part of the capacity will support Nvidia’s plan to build up to $500 billion worth of AI servers in the U.S. over the next four years.

Nvidia previously said it would build supercomputer manufacturing plants in Texas, working with partners including Foxconn and Wistron. The comments from Wistron’s leadership underline growing confidence among AI supply-chain firms that current demand reflects long-term structural growth rather than a short-lived boom.