China’s new rare-earth curbs target chipmaking industry in retaliation to US restrictions — rare earth curbs reach back to older 14nm process tech and 256-layer memory

Rare earth minerals in front of the China flag.

China has quietly extended its rare-earth export controls into the heart of the semiconductor supply chain.

Based on a machine translation of a new notice published October 9, the Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) said that exports of Chinese-origin rare earths or products made with them will now require government licenses if they’re linked to the development or manufacture of advanced chips — defined as logic at 14 nanometers or below, or memory with 256 layers or more.