Rep. Michael Baumgartner, R-Wash., led a bipartisan group of lawmakers today in introducing the Multilateral Alignment of Technology Controls on Hardware (MATCH) Act, a bill aimed at closing gaps in export controls on semiconductor manufacturing equipment (SME).
The bill reflects a growing concern among policymakers that existing export controls do not go far enough in limiting China’s ability to produce advanced semiconductors that power artificial intelligence (AI) systems.
“China has made it abundantly clear that it intends to dominate the technologies that underpin both our economy and our national defense,” Baumgartner said in a statement. “The United States cannot afford to leave open back doors that allow the Chinese Communist Party to acquire the tools it needs to leap ahead in semiconductor manufacturing.”
“I introduced the MATCH Act to ensure that America and our allies move in lockstep to close these gaps, defend our technological edge, and safeguard the supply chains that power everything from our weapons systems to our critical infrastructure,” he added.
Specifically, the MATCH Act would prohibit the sale of essential SME – such as deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography systems and cryogenic etch tools for chips – to countries of concern.
It also tightens restrictions on several key Chinese chipmaking companies and their subsidiaries, including ChangXin Memory Technologies, Hua Hong, Huawei, Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp, and Yangtze Memory Technologies Corp.
The MATCH Act would also ensure controls apply uniformly to U.S. and allied countries, creating a level playing field. If allies fail to demonstrate sufficient progress within the 150-day deadline, the bill directs the Department of Commerce to implement controls unilaterally.
Rep. John Moolenaar, R-Mich., Rich McCormick, R-Ga., Bill Huizenga, R-Mich., Jefferson Shreve, R-Ind., Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., John Mannion, D-N.Y., Jared Golden, D-Maine, Josh Riley, D-N.Y., Maggie Goodlander, D-N.H., and Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va., are original cosponsors of the bill.
Sens. Pete Ricketts, R-Neb., and Andy Kim, D-N.J., plan to introduce companion legislation in the Senate.
“The bipartisan MATCH Act will close loopholes, create a level playing field for U.S. and allied toolmakers, and ensure the next decade of growth in chip manufacturing – and the jobs that come with it – happens in the United States and allied countries, not China,” said Moolenaar, who is the chairman of the Select Committee on China.
“Semiconductor manufacturing equipment is a crucial advantage we have against China’s military and technological ambitions,” Moolenaar added. “There is an urgent need to pass this bipartisan legislation and protect our advantage in chip making.”