U.S. Software Firm SAS Exits China After 25 Years

U.S. software company SAS Institute has withdrawn from mainland China and dismissed its local staff, ending more than two decades of operations amid intense competition and geopolitical tensions, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported.

SAS’ exit marks the latest Western tech company to either scale down operations or withdraw from the world’s second-largest economy. (Photo: SAS Institute)

The company recently announced the layoffs via email and hosted a short video call in which executives thanked local employees for their contributions and cited “organizational optimization” for the exit.

“SAS is ceasing direct business operations in China,” an SAS spokeswoman said on Friday in response to the Post’s inquiry.

“This decision reflects a broader shift in how we operate globally — optimizing our footprint and ensuring long-term sustainability.” The company will continue to have a presence on the mainland through third-party partners, according to the spokeswoman.

About 400 jobs on the mainland were eliminated, and each employee was asked to sign a separation agreement by Nov. 14.

Affected staff will receive a compensation package of one month’s pay for each year of service, two additional months of salary, an annual bonus, and pay through the end of the year.

SAS’ exit marks the latest Western tech company to either scale down operations or withdraw from the world’s second-largest economy.

In September, U.S. computer giant Dell Technologies cut jobs at its EMC Storage and Client Solutions Group operations in Shanghai and Xiamen. That followed layoffs at U.S. chipmaker Micron Technology.

Earlier, U.S. computing giant IBM shut down IBM (China) Investment Co., 32 years after it was established. That closure followed last year’s layoffs of more than 1,000 employees at the IBM China Development Lab and China Systems Lab across several cities.