East Michigan News

Chairman John Moolenaar and Ranking Member Raja Krishnamoorthi of the House Select Committee on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Communist Party have expressed concerns over Lam Research's lack of cooperation in an ongoing investigation. The inquiry focuses on the company's sale of semiconductor manufacturing equipment to China.

The investigation, initiated last November, includes other companies such as ASML, Applied Materials, KLA, and Tokyo Electron. It was prompted by reports highlighting a significant increase in American, Japanese, and Dutch semiconductor equipment sales to China. This trend could potentially enhance China's military capabilities and accelerate advancements in artificial intelligence.

The committee had requested detailed information regarding these companies' sales to China and any transactions involving sensitive technologies. The lawmakers emphasized their dissatisfaction with Lam Research's failure to meet deadlines for providing this information.

"The failure to comply with the agreed-upon deadlines is unacceptable, and we are reasserting our call for compliance to ensure U.S. security interests are protected," they stated.

Chairman Moolenaar remarked on the importance of transparency: "Ensuring transparency in the flow of semiconductor manufacturing equipment to China is a top priority for this Congress. In the competition against China, we cannot afford to let U.S. technology inadvertently strengthen the Chinese Communist Party."

Ranking Member Krishnamoorthi added his concerns about China's potential access to advanced chip-making machines: "Perhaps the only thing more dangerous than the CCP obtaining advanced chips that threaten our national security is the CCP obtaining the machines they need to produce those chips themselves."

Both lawmakers stressed their commitment to safeguarding U.S. leadership in AI technology through thorough oversight and accountability measures.