Chipmakers Are Caught in U.S.-China Crossfire

For years, it has been the best of times for computer-chip companies. Now, though, they’re increasingly trapped in global political wars.

The latest example is the decision by a court in China to temporarily ban some sales there by Micron Technology Inc., the Idaho-based maker of memory chips essential to most smartphones. The court case centers on specialized technology that a rival company says Micron stole, although the tussle appears to be less about the law and mostly about the Chinese government's efforts to develop a homegrown computer-chip industry at any cost. Micron shares fell as much as 8 percent on the development.