A 3-year-old state-backed memory-chip maker signed two deals with a Canadian patent-licensing company that will give China access to the technology it needs to produce the widely used chips domestically. ChangXin Memory Technologies Inc. (CXMT) has signed two agreements with a subsidiary of Quarterhill Inc. related to DRAM technologies developed by chip designer Infineon Technologies AG, according to a joint statement released on December 5. One deal is a licensing agreement that will give ChangXin Memory access to some of the technologies, while the second will give it outright ownership of other intellectual property. The statement did not disclose details such as the exact number of patents or the financial terms of the deals.

(Comment: The agreements come as China pushes for self-sufficiency in high-tech industries especially after its trade war with the U.S. exposed its dependence on foreign suppliers for crucial types of microchips.)