A report on TSMC’s geopolitical landscape notes the U.S. granted the company an annual license for tool imports into its Nanjing facility.
This new license replaces a previous, more permissive waiver system. That waiver system was set to conclude at the end of 2025.
Analysts characterize this shift as 'managed interdependence,' not 'decoupling.' The annual license structure grants the United States recurring veto power over the technology. This mechanism allows the U.S. to use compliance as a bargaining tool, depending on evolving geopolitical conditions.