WASHINGTON – The Biden administration plans next month to broaden curbs on U.S shipments to China of semiconductors used for artificial intelligence and chipmaking tools, several people familiar with the matter said. The Commerce Department intends to publish new regulations based on restrictions communicated in letters earlier this year to three U.S. companies -- KLA Corp, Lam Research Corp and Applied Materials Inc, the people said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. The plan for new rules has not been previously reported. The letters, which the companies publicly acknowledged, forbade them from exporting chipmaking equipment to Chinese factories that produce advanced semiconductors with sub-14 nanometer processes unless the sellers obtain Commerce Department licenses. The rules would also codify restrictions in Commerce Department letters sent to Nvidia Corp and Advanced Micro Devices last month instructing them to halt shipments of several artificial intelligence computing chips to China unless they obtain licenses.

ABB says its goal is to make the Shanghai facility the most advanced robotics factory in the world. It will even feature a Research and Development center to accelerate the firm's work in artificial intelligence. In addition, it will widen the types and variants of robots the company can build for Chinese companies, including automakers and electronics manufacturers. China is ABB's second biggest market after the United States, and the new factory could greatly expand its presence in the market. The company expects to open the 75,000-square-foot facility by late 2020.

Swiss robotics company ABB has revealed that it's spending $150 million to build an advanced robotics factory in Shanghai -- one that will use robots to build robots. The company will rely on its YuMi single-arm robots, which it once used to conduct an orchestra, for small parts assembly. It also plans to make extensive use"of its SafeMove2 software in the facility, which it says will allow its YuMi models and other automated machines to safely work in close proximity with human employees. ABB says its goal is to make the Shanghai facility the most advanced robotics factory in the world. It will even feature a Research and Development center to accelerate the firm's work in artificial intelligence.

A factory in China that manufactures Amazon Kindle e-readers and Echo Dot smart speakers is under investigation over alleged mistreatment of workers, following a nine-month investigation into working conditions. US-based advocacy group China Labour Watch published a string of allegations regarding working conditions at the Hengyang factory of Foxconn, one of the online retail giant's suppliers. Its report claimed workers were required to work more than 100 hours of monthly overtime during periods of peak production, and found one instance of people working 14 straight days without a day off. "All workers are subject to long hours and low wages," the report claimed. "As wages are low, workers must rely on overtime hours to earn enough to maintain a decent standard of living."

Foxconn, the Taiwanese manufacturing giant behind Apple's iPhone and numerous other major electronics devices, aims to automate away a vast majority of its human employees, according to a report from DigiTimes. Dai Jia-peng, the general manager of Foxconn's automation committee, says the company has a three-phase plan in place to automate its Chinese factories using software and in-house robotics units, known as Foxbots. The first phase of Foxconn's automation plans involve replacing the work that is either dangerous or involves repetitious labor humans are unwilling to do. The second phase involves improving efficiency by streamlining production lines to reduce the number of excess robots in use. The third and final phase involves automating entire factories, "with only a minimal number of workers assigned for production, logistics, testing, and inspection processes," according to Jia-peng.

Foxconn, the Taiwanese manufacturing giant behind Apple's iPhone and numerous other major electronics devices, aims to automate away a vast majority of its human employees, according to a report from DigiTimes. Dai Jia-peng, the general manager of Foxconn's automation committee, says the company has a three-phase plan in place to automate its Chinese factories using software and in-house robotics units, known as Foxbots. The first phase of Foxconn's automation plans involve replacing the work that is either dangerous or involves repetitious labor humans are unwilling to do. The second phase involves improving efficiency by streamlining production lines to reduce the number of excess robots in use. The third and final phase involves automating entire factories, "with only a minimal number of workers assigned for production, logistics, testing, and inspection processes," according to Jia-peng.

A Chinese factory near Shanghai is relying on a new breed of workers to maintain its competitive advantage in assembling electronics devices: small robots designed in Germany. Suzhou Victory Precision Manufacture Co.'s chairman, Yugen Gao, said the days when the company drew its strength from China's cheap and hardworking employees are gone. "We've been losing that edge in the past three years," said Mr. Gao in his office, overlooking rows of buildings where a battalion of robots was cranking out computer keyboards. China's appetite for European-made industrial robots is rapidly growing, as rising wages, a shrinking workforce and cultural changes drive more Chinese businesses to automation. The types of robots favored by Chinese manufacturers are also changing, as automation spreads from heavy industries such as auto manufacturing to those that require more precise, flexible robots capable of handling and assembling smaller products, including consumer electronics and apparel. At stake is whether China can retain its dominance in manufacturing.