TECH

Biden administration plans to block China export of software to design chips in next-generation transistors

The Internet resource Protocol, citing its own sources, reports that the Biden administration plans to block the export to China of software to design chips in next-generation transistors — with channels completely enclosed by a gate or Gate All Around (GAA). The US fears that GAA technology will allow China to create a top-performing artificial intelligence chip.

The first transistors with the GAA structure were recently released by Samsung in the form of 3nm products. TSMC will start implementing similar structures starting from the 2nm process. Intel is also ready to experiment with this technology in the future (in its terminology – RibbonFET) in the Intel 20A and Intel 18A technical processes. The Chinese have yet to be seen intending to master GAA technology, but in time they would certainly do so.

In general, GAA transistors have nanopage or wire channels that are surrounded by a gate on all four sides, which reduces leakage currents and improves performance. The technology also allows you to flexibly adjust the characteristics of transistors simply by changing the size of the channels and their number. For transistors with small channels, which occurs when technology production standards drop below a certain level (2-3 nm), the transition to a circular gate seems to be a completely natural and economically justified step.

The United States has already banned the supply of EUV-generation lithographic equipment to China, which in itself will make it difficult for the Chinese to master technological standards for sub-7nm production. The proposal to ban the supply of GAA chip design software to China would be an insurance policy against China developing advanced designs, for example for production on TSMC lines, which cannot be ruled out despite control and sanctions.

So far, the Biden administration has instructed the relevant ministries to only preliminarily study the issue of blocking the supply of software tools to China in relation to the GAA transistor project. However, US officials are determined to take such a step and may announce their decision in the coming weeks or even days, the source said.

Manufacturers of design tools – Cadence, Synopsys and others, this state of affairs is unlikely to please. They earn up to 20% of their annual revenue from Chinese designers, and limiting the sale of automatic chip design software to China is a loss of revenue and profit. However, your consent will be requested last. In China, they understand this and are slowly creating their own design tools.

AVnews