US rescinds some chip export restrictions against China

Some chip curbs lifted on US-based firms amid trade truce between Washington and Beijing

ISTANBUL 

Washington has begun to lift some of its chip-design software curbs targeting China, according to a statement by the US-based electronic design automation (EDA) firm Synopsys on late Wednesday.

"On July 2, Synopsys received a letter from the Bureau of Industry and Security of the US Department of Commerce informing Synopsys that the export restrictions related to China, pursuant to a letter received on May 29, 2025, have now been rescinded, effective immediately," the firm said in the statement.

Synopsys said it is working to restore access to the recently restricted products in China.

"Synopsys is continuing to assess the impact of export restrictions related to China on its business, operating results, and financials," it added.

Cadence, another US-based chip software firm, also said the US Bureau of Industry and Security, which falls under the Department of Commerce, rescinded the chip curbs against China, according to CNBC.

On May 23, the US government informed a number of chip design software businesses that they needed to get licenses before exporting products to China, including semiconductor chemicals and software, according to the Financial Times.

Siemens EDA, an American division of Siemens, a German software company, is among the other software vendors affected by the prohibition. It has also been claimed that Siemens has received approval to continue its operations in China.

The announcement follows China's indications last week that they are moving closer to a trade ceasefire with the US and reaffirming conditional agreements to resume some rare earth and advanced technology exchanges.

In early June, the US and Chinese officials met in London to discuss issues such as tariffs, trade, and export curbs.

In April, the US began implementing significant tariffs on goods imported from China. But in May, the US and China agreed to a broad rollback of punitive tariffs for the initial 90 days.