TMTPOST--The U.S. is considering imposing unilateral restrictions on China’s access to AI memory chips and the equipment needed to produce them, potentially starting as soon as next month. This move would further intensify the tech rivalry between the world’s two largest economies. The proposed measure aims to prevent Micron Technology Inc., along with South Korea’s leading memory chipmakers SK Hynix Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co., from supplying Chinese firms with high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips, according to sources familiar with the matter. These three firms dominate the global HBM market. The Biden administration is developing several restrictions to prevent critical technology from reaching Chinese manufacturers, including limits on the sale of chipmaking equipment. This new rule would add constraints specifically targeting memory chips for artificial intelligence, marking the latest battleground in China-U.S. technological competition. If implemented, the measure would encompass HBM2 and more advanced chips such as HBM3 and HBM3E—the most cutting-edge AI memory chips currently in production—as well as the tools required to manufacture them. HBM chips are essential for running AI accelerators, like those provided by Nvidia and Advanced Micro Devices.