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Based on this development, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix will inevitably have to modify their strategy despite having invested trillions of won to build factories in China

The US government ultimately did not accept the requests of Seoul and South Korean corporations to ease the guardrails for the CHIPS and Science Act, which have the potential to worsen the competitive edge of South Korean chip factories operating in China, restricting production capacity expansion in China in the next 10 years to 5% as originally outlined.

The US Department of Commerce’s finalized guardrails for the CHIPS and Science Act included measures that would allow the US to “claw back” incentives granted if recipients expand production capacity above approved standards in “foreign countries of concern,” including China.

It appears likely that these investment restrictions will prolong uncertainty about the competitiveness of Samsung and SK Hynix factories in China.