The U.S. government has granted an annual export licence to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSMC), allowing the company to import U.S. chipmaking equipment to its fabrication plant in Nanjing, China, the company said on Thursday.
TSMC said the approval will “ensure uninterrupted fab operations and product deliveries,” providing clarity for its China-based manufacturing as Washington tightens controls on advanced semiconductor technology exports.
With the licence, TSMC joins South Korean chipmakers Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, which have also secured U.S. approval to ship American chipmaking tools to their facilities in China.
The move comes as a key exemption regime expires. Until now, several Asian chipmakers benefited from a special status known as validated end-user (VEU), which allowed them to receive U.S.-origin semiconductor equipment for their China operations without applying for individual export licences. That status expired on December 31, meaning shipments of U.S. chipmaking tools to China from 2026 onward require explicit U.S. government approval.
“The U.S. Department of Commerce has granted TSMC Nanjing an annual export license that allows U.S. export-controlled items to be supplied to TSMC Nanjing without the need for individual vendor licenses,” TSMC said. The company added that the licence was issued ahead of the December 31, 2025 expiration of its previous VEU authorization.
The approval highlights Washington’s more selective approach to export controls, balancing efforts to restrict China’s access to advanced semiconductor technology while allowing continued operations at foreign-owned fabs producing less advanced chips for global supply chains.
