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The US will continue a waiver for South Korean semiconductor manufacturers Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, permitting them to transport US chip equipment to China without the need for additional licenses.

A report from Yonhap news agency, referencing unidentified sources, indicated that the US Commerce Department has been in dialogue with these firms, specifying the equipment types permitted for use in China. It is anticipated that announcements related to this will emerge later this week.

Previously, the chip companies obtained US authorization, allowing them to send the essential gear for chip manufacturing in China for a year without additional licenses. To simplify the process, the Commerce Department plans to update its “validated end user” list, which indicates which organizations can obtain certain technologies. Once companies are on this list, individual export permissions are unnecessary. Both Samsung and SK Hynix chose not to comment.

It’s worth noting that these chip giants, who have invested billions, manage substantial production facilities in China. As per TrendForce data, they dominated nearly 70% of the global DRAM market and 50% of the NAND flash market by the end of June.