Recently, TechInsights spotted Ascend 910B chips made by TSMC in Huawei AI accelerators. The technology research firm notified TSMC of this discovery, which immediately reported it to the U.S. Department of Commerce.
TSMC emphasized that it has stopped all semiconductor shipments to Huawei since September 15, 2020. The chipmaker said: “We maintain a robust and comprehensive export system to monitor and ensure compliance.”
Previously, TheInformation revealed that the US Department of Commerce is investigating TSMC for possibly manufacturing products for Huawei. However, TSMC states: “At this time, we are not aware that TSMC is the subject of an investigation.”
Meanwhile, Reuters reported that it remains unclear when and how Huawei obtained the TSMC chips. Notably, the 910B chip used in Huawei’s AI accelerator was manufactured before the US sanctions.
Huawei said, “Since the U.S. Department of Commerce amended the Foreign Direct Product Regulation (FDPR) for our company in 2020, we have not produced chips through TSMC.” “Huawei has released the 910B chip. I have never done that,” he added.
Back in August 2020, the US government added Huawei to its sanctions list citing national security concerns. The ban prohibited transactions with semiconductor manufacturers, including TSMC, without permission from the U.S. government.
