Intel gets waiver after worries fuzzy US ban on foreign-made robots may hit fabs

Intel requested and received a waiver "out of an abundance of caution" because it was unclear whether the FCC's ban on certain foreign-made robots covered the automated guided vehicles used in its US chip fabs. The FCC published an order on October 22 allowing Intel to keep using the foreign-made robots in US semiconductor facilities for one year, and also approved certain hardware, software, and firmware changes to maintain and operate them. The robots' exact types were identified only in a confidential appendix, and Intel said it was "unclear" whether its vehicles even qualify as robots covered by the ban.