US Tightens China Chip Curbs by Targeting Design Software

The Trump administration is moving to restrict the sale of chip design software to China, people familiar with the matter said, as the US government evaluates a broader policy announcement on the issue.

The Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security sent letters to some of the leading providers of electronic design automation, or EDA, last Friday telling them to halt shipments to Chinese customers, said the people, asking not to be identified because the policy isn’t yet public. Top makers of the technology include Cadence Design Systems Inc., Synopsys Inc. and Germany’s Siemens AG.