Following a record-breaking quarterly report, TSMS has been under ongoing investigation by the US Department of Commerce. The investigation is looking into the possibility that TSMC is supplying Huawei with smartphones and AI chips despite the ongoing ban. The new report from The information suggests that the Commerce Department has contacted TSMS to ask if it is supplying Huawei with chipsets directly or indirectly.
In 2020, the US Govt blacklisted Huawei has refrained from purchasing chips made with US equipment due to national security concerns. Furthermore, the same ban prevents Huawei from purchasing equipment for chip set production, further limiting its ability to purchase chips for its devices.
The new research focuses on the Kirin 9000s found within the Mate 60 series as well as Huawei’s new Ascend AI processor both feature components that should not be accessible to Huawei under the ongoing bans. Huawei claimed that all its new chips come from China’s Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC).
Kirin 9000s chip
We’ve seen reports highlighting that there is another Kirin chip – the Kirin 9006C used in Huawei’s Qingyan L450 laptop is manufactured by TSMC.
TSMC responded with an official statement claiming that it is a law-abiding company and will “take immediate action to ensure compliance, including conducting investigations and proactively communicating with relevant parties, including customers and regulators, as necessary.”
Source (paywall)