Memory chip maker Micron Technology will shut its DRAM chip designing operations in Shanghai by the end of this year, the South China Morning Post reported on Wednesday.

Micron, which did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment, will ask some of the 150 Chinese engineers on the site to relocate to the United States or India, the SCMP reported , citing industry sources.

Semiconductors have been at the heart of U.S.-China tensions and the United States has been looking to shift the balance back in favour of the West and away from Asia, driven by intellectual property and supply chain concerns.

Micron makes NAND memory chips that serve the data storage market as well as DRAM chips that are widely used in data centers, personal computers and other devices.

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