House Panel Presses Chipmaking Equipment Firm to Provide China Sales Information
The leaders of the House Select Committee on China criticized California-based Lam Research Feb. 10 for not providing documents the panel requested as part of its ongoing investigation on firms that sell semiconductor manufacturing equipment to China.
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In a letter to Lam president and chief executive Timothy Archer, Reps. John Moolenaar, R-Mich., and Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill., the committee’s chairman and ranking member, respectively, said they asked Lam Nov. 7 to provide information about its operations and sales in China by Dec. 1 but received nothing in response. Lam also didn't comply by an agreed-upon deadline extension to Dec. 19, the lawmakers said.
“We therefore request that you produce" the requested information by a new deadline of Feb. 21, the letter says. “If you fail to meet this deadline, we will take additional steps as appropriate to ensure compliance, which may include compulsory process as necessary.”
Lam had no immediate comment on the letter.
The committee said Lam is one of five large semiconductor manufacturing equipment companies it's investigating “following alarming reports of the rapidly increasing flow of American, Japanese and Dutch semiconductor manufacturing equipment to China that could enhance the People’s Liberation Army’s capabilities and accelerate China’s advances” in artificial intelligence. The committee, which announced the probe in November (see 2411080042), didn't say whether the other four firms have complied with its information requests.