Rumor
U.S. Sanctions Licenses Reportedly Reinstated for Chinese Chip Designers Enflame and Novutek
Monday, December 8, 2025 at 06:23 AM
Chinese AI chip firm Enflame and network chip firm Novutek, which were previously sanctioned by the U.S. Department of Commerce, have reportedly had their licenses reinstated, allowing them to resume production (wafer starts) at TSMC's advanced process nodes.
Context
Reportedly, U.S. sanctions licenses for Chinese chip designers Enflame and Novutek have been reinstated, enabling them to resume wafer starts at TSMC’s advanced process nodes. The move, first posted on Dec 8, 2025, would let both firms book runs at TSMC and speed deliveries of AI and networking chips tied to current demand. If confirmed, this could unlock near-term production capacity and ease node-level bottlenecks; note TSMC’s China footprint (Nanjing) represented roughly 2.4% of 2024 revenue and advanced-node wafer starts remain tightly constrained. Investors should treat the report as conditional and watch for official BIS/TSMC license notices and TSMC booking updates for concrete volume and timing.
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