Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, the two largest global memory chipmakers, have spent roughly two years testing chipmaking equipment from the Chinese firm Advanced Micro-Fabrication Equipment Inc. (AMEC), according to local news reports. Samsung has denied testing AMEC equipment at its China site or considering such a test, and SK Hynix has not commented on the matter. In 2023, the U.S. Commerce Department designated Samsung and SK Hynix’s Chinese factories as validated end users. Security concerns about Chinese technology and doubts over software support could still slow Huawei’s adoption in South Korea, even as its AI chip launch stays on track for the fourth quarter of this year. Samsung and SK Hynix have not said whether their AMEC trials will move beyond testing.