Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., the world’s largest contract semiconductor manufacturer, says the United States is investigating whether the Taiwanese semiconductor manufacturer is collaborating with Chinese tech giant Huawei despite sanctions from Washington. In response to the report, it said it was ready to “take swift action to ensure compliance.”
Thursday information The U.S. Department of Commerce recently contacted TSMC to ask if it was working with Huawei on smartphones and AI chips, the U.S. Commerce Department recently reported, citing unnamed sources. Officials may also be looking into whether TSMC conducted the necessary due diligence regarding the order to prevent Huawei from obtaining chips indirectly through intermediaries.
In a statement Friday, TSMC said: “If we have reason to believe there is a potential issue, we will conduct an investigation and proactively communicate with stakeholders, including customers and regulators as appropriate, to ensure compliance. We will take immediate steps to do so.”
Following the decision in early 2019 to place the company on the Entity List, a U.S. trade blacklist, the U.S. government in 2020 ordered Huawei to acquire semiconductors manufactured using U.S. technology and software. prevented that. TSMC, which manufactured chips for Huawei, has stopped placing new orders with Chinese high-tech companies in response to tightened export regulations in the United States.
The Biden administration expanded export controls in October 2022, blocking the sale of advanced chips and semiconductor manufacturing equipment to Chinese companies.
According to The Information, the U.S. Department of Commerce’s investigation is still in its early stages and there is no clear timeline for reaching a conclusion.
Huawei did not immediately respond luckThis is a comment request from .
For more than a year, Huawei has been selling smartphones with advanced semiconductors that would be prohibited under U.S. rules. Analysts believe that Chinese chipmakers are using older equipment to make these relatively high-end processors.
In recent weeks, U.S. lawmakers have called on the Biden administration to block Chinese companies with ties to Huawei from accessing U.S. technology.
Huawei is experiencing a resurgence thanks to new products such as premium smartphones and AI chips. The company says it is “back on track” with nearly $100 billion in sales last year.
TSMC shares rose almost 5% on Friday after the world’s largest contract chip maker earned NT$325.3 billion ($10.1 billion) in net profit last quarter, beating expectations for a 54% year-on-year increase. . The company expected sales of up to $26.9 billion in the final quarter of this year, which also exceeded expectations.
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