China’s YMTC is being forced by US sanctions to raise fresh capital, as lawmakers continue to press for tougher action against Beijing, including restrictions on the RISC-V instruction set architecture.

The Chip Wars continue apace, with reports that YMTC (Yangtze Memory Technologies Co), China’s largest memory chip maker, has had to appeal for new funding after burning through cash reserves in its efforts to adapt to sanctions imposed by Washington.

According to the Financial Times, YMTC has already used up $7 billion in capital it received from shareholders earlier this year, including from the state-run China Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund.

This was used up on replacing equipment and the development of new components and chipmaking tools, following the company being placed on US blacklists last year that barred it from buying American-made chip design and manufacturing kit.

Sources familiar with the situation said the new funding is “equivalent to billions of dollars,” but did not confirm a precise figure.

There was industry chatter at the time of the blacklisting that YMTC could face significant issues with memory manufacturing and it was even suggested the company might be forced to exit the 3D NAND market.

YMTC appears to be surviving, however, and is now reportedly shipping an advanced 232-layer quad-level cell (QLC) flash chip, described by TechInsights as the w