Following the suspension of shipments to specific customers by TSMC and the discovery of integration into Huawei products

October 23, 2024 22:30 JST
Shipping to customers was halted around mid-October, followed by notification to US authorities.
It is unclear whether the customer was acting as a replacement for Huawei.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), a major semiconductor foundry, discovered this month that semiconductors manufactured for specific customers ended up with the Chinese communication equipment maker, Huawei. This discovery may violate US sanctions aimed at preventing technology outflow to Huawei.

According to individuals directly knowledgeable about the matter, TSMC realized its products were used in Huawei devices and halted shipments to the customer around mid-October. Subsequently, notifications were made to both the US government and Taiwanese authorities. The individual revealed anonymously that further thorough investigations are being conducted on the issue.

It is unknown whether the customer was acting as a replacement for Huawei or where they are based. In recent days, technology news sites such as The Information reported inquiries by the US government to TSMC about manufacturing semiconductors for Huawei.
The recent revelation of this issue has raised new questions on how Huawei, a company that the Chinese government has great expectations for in domestic semiconductor development, managed to acquire advanced chips. Recently, the Canadian research firm TechInsights disassembled at least one of Huawei's top AI accelerators, discovering TSMC semiconductors during the process.

TSMC's public relations officer refrained from commenting on the latest developments. Huawei's PR officer has not yet responded to Bloomberg News inquiries. A spokesperson for the US Department of Commerce stated on the 22nd that the Bureau of Industry and Security is aware of reports pointing to possible violations of US export regulations.