CXMT sues Pentagon over military company designation
China memory chipmaker ChangXin Memory Technologies sued the Pentagon in U.S. District Court in Washington to overturn its designation as a company accused of aiding China’s military.
On Friday, China’s top memory chipmaker, ChangXin Memory Technologies, sued the Pentagon over its inclusion on a U.S. list of companies accused of aiding China’s military.
CXMT Challenges Pentagon Military Designation CXMT filed a lawsuit in the U.S.
District Court for the District of Columbia seeking to overturn its designation and have its name removed from the Pentagon’s list, “CXMT is not affiliated with the Chinese military,” CXMT stated in the lawsuit. “CXMT designs, produces, and sells its DRAM chips for civilian and commercial use, not for military use.” The Pentagon initially designated CXMT under the Joe Biden administration in January 2025.
The Donald Trump administration retained the company on the list in a June update.
Read Also: 'Chip War' Author Chris Miller Says China Has Been 'Underspending' On AI For Four Years: Beijing 'Just Doesn't Believe' It Matters Chipmaker Claims Decision Was Arbitrary CXMT argues the Pentagon’s decision was "arbitrary" and lacked sufficient evidence, while also alleging violations of its due-process rights.
According to the lawsuit, CXMT spent more than a year providing information to the Pentagon to challenge the designation.
The company also said that the Defense Department published a notice in February indicating it would be removed from the list, only to withdraw the notice the same day.
CXMT said the designation has caused "reputational and commercial harm" since its initial listing.
The Defense Department told the publication it does not comment on "pending or ongoing litigation." The department did not immediately respond to request for comment.
CXMT Eyes US Market Amid Chip Boom CXMT is China’s top DRAM producer, supplying memory chips used in smartphones, PCs, servers and AI systems.
Its revenue surged 874% in the first half of 2026, highlighting its rapid expansion amid booming AI-related memory demand.
The lawsuit comes shortly after Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. (NYSE: BABA ) filed its own challenge against the Pentagon over a similar designation.
Xiaomi Corp. (OTC: XIACF ) (OTC: XIACY ) also successfully fought its designation in 2021 and eventually secured removal from the list.
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published editors.
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