Key Huawei chip supplier stops taking orders after new US sanctions
TSMC is the world’s biggest contract chipmaker
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Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, has reportedly stopped taking orders fromHuaweifollowing the latest round of sanctions by the US government.
Huawei has been on the US ‘non-entity’ list since 2019, a status which bans it from doing business with American tech firms on national security grounds.
This has limited its access to key technologies such asGoogleapplications and US-manufactured components.
Huawei chips
TSMC has become an increasingly important supplier over the past year, producing Huawei’s custom processors and providing it with key components such as networking chips. The Chinese mobile giant is now TSMC’s second largest customer, afterApple, accounting for anything up to a fifth of its revenue.
However Washington is intent on increasing the pressure on Huawei and has closed what it believes to be a “technical loophole” that allows chipmakers to ensure their components are not classified as ‘US-made’ despite including American technologies.
All chipmakers wanting to supply Huawei will have to apply for a licence, handing the US government greater control over the company’s supply chain.
Nikkeisays TSMC is no longer taking new orders from Huawei but will honour existing commitments, in line with the latest US regulations. It is said that the Chinese mobile giant hs been preparing for every eventuality over the past year and has been stockpiling networking chips.
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However in a statement earlier this week it suggested the latest US measures were targeted, malicious, and threatened the future of its business. A possible option could be to co-develop chip designs with another party but this would not be an immediate solution.
“The US is leveraging its own technological strengths to crush companies outside its own borders,” said rotating chairman Guo Peng. “This will only serve to undermine the trust international companies place in US technology and supply chains. Ultimately, this will harm US interests.”
TechRadar Prohas contacted TSMC for comment.
ViaNikkei
Steve McCaskill is TechRadar Pro’s resident mobile industry expert, covering all aspects of the UK and global news, from operators to service providers and everything in between. He is a former editor of Silicon UK and journalist with over a decade’s experience in the technology industry, writing about technology, in particular, telecoms, mobile and sports tech, sports, video games and media.
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