The Bureau of Industry and Security is removing Samsung China Semiconductor Co., SK hynix Semiconductor (China) and a third SK hynix-owned semiconductor facility in Dalian from the agency’s Validated End-User List, which will make them ineligible for a general authorization that had allowed them to receive certain U.S.-controlled technology. BIS called the VEU program a “loophole” because it allows certain foreign firms to export chip manufacturing equipment and technology to China without a specific license. The final rule takes effect Dec. 31.

The Bureau of Industry and Security released a final rule Aug. 28 that will ease export controls on Syria by making the country eligible for more license exceptions and revising current BIS license review policies for Syria to “be more favorable.” The rule, effective Sept. 2, will also create a new License Exception Syria Peace and Prosperity, which will authorize exports and reexports to Syria of items designated under the Export Administration Regulations as EAR99.

Cadence, a California-based electronic design automation firm, will pay more than $140 million in combined civil fines, criminal penalties and forfeitures to resolve allegations that it illegally exported technology to Chinese entities, DOJ and the Bureau of Industry and Security announced July 28. The company pleaded guilty to illegally exporting EDA hardware, software and semiconductor design intellectual property technology to the National University of Defense Technology, a university added to the Commerce Department's Entity List for its ties to the Chinese military, DOJ said.

The Bureau of Industry and Security officially announced May 13 that it plans to rescind the Biden administration’s AI diffusion export control rule and issue a “replacement rule in the future.” BIS enforcement officials won't be enforcing the Biden-era rule, the agency said, which was scheduled to take effect May 15. The agency said it plans to publish a formal rescission notice in the Federal Register.

The Bureau of Industry and Security said April 24 that it added 18 entities to its Unverified List after it was unable to verify the “legitimacy and reliability” of the parties through end-use checks, including their ability to responsibly receive controlled U.S. exports. It also removed five companies from the list. The added entities are located in China, Finland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Turkey and the U.K., while the removed ones are in China and the United Arab Emirates.

The Bureau of Industry and Security is adding 82 entities, mostly in China, to the Entity List, it said in two final rules released March 25. One notice, effective March 25, adds 11 mainland China-based companies and one Taiwanese company for trying to illegally buy export-controlled items for the country’s military or for having other ties to Chinese military end users. Another notice, effective March 28, will add 42 entities in China, 19 in Pakistan, four in the United Arab Emirates, three in South Africa and two in Iran for a range of reasons that are “contrary to the national security and foreign policy” of the U.S., including some for contributing to China’s quantum technology capabilities.

The Bureau of Industry and Security released four new rules Jan. 15, including one that will make more changes to its semiconductor-related export controls -- including by creating a new list of trusted chip designers and service providers -- another rule that will place new controls on certain biotechnology equipment and technology, and two rules that will add companies to the Entity List.

A new Bureau of Industry and Security rule released Jan. 13 will place new, worldwide export controls on advanced computing chips and certain closed artificial intelligence model weights, capping the number of AI chips that can be sent to most countries while introducing an exception for a group of allies that the Biden administration said already have strong AI technology protection rules. The 168-page interim final rule also creates new license exceptions for certain supply chain activities and low-volume shipments of powerful chips -- except for China, Russia and other U.S.-embargoed countries -- and updates the agency’s validated end-user program (VEU) to lift certain licensing requirements for certain data centers that meet stringent new security conditions.

The U.S. on Jan. 10 announced a new set of sanctions against Russia’s energy sector, targeting major Russian oil producers, oil service providers and insurance companies, as well as vessels and traders moving Russian oil as part of the country’s shadow fleet. Treasury said the designations target two of Russia’s “most significant” oil producers and exporters -- Gazprom Neft and Surgutneftegas -- along with more than 180 other people, ships and traders involved in Russian oil trade.

The Bureau of Industry and Security on Jan. 6 will add 13 companies to the Entity List for illegally shipping export-controlled items in support of China’s military modernization efforts or Pakistan’s ballistic missile program. The entities are located in Myanmar, China and Pakistan, the agency said in a final rule released Jan. 3. They will be subject to license requirements for all items subject to the Export Administration Regulations, and licenses will be reviewed under a presumption of denial.