TSMC displayed on mobile phone screen and microchip. Seen in this illustrated photo taken in Krakow, Poland on July 19, 2023
Jakub Porzycki | Null Photo | Getty Images
the US ordered Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. Starting Monday, the company will stop shipping advanced chips commonly used in artificial intelligence applications to Chinese customers, according to people familiar with the matter.
The Commerce Department has written to TSMC imposing export restrictions on certain advanced chips with advanced designs larger than 7 nanometers bound for China that drive AI accelerators and graphics processing units (GPUs), the person said. He said he sent it.
As Reuters reported last month, the U.S. order was first reported and comes just weeks after TSMC notified the Commerce Department that one of its chips was found in a Huawei AI processor. Ta.
When tech research firm Tech Insights disassembled the product, it revealed a TSMC chip and a clear violation of export regulations. Huawei, the center of the U.S. action, is on the restricted trade list, which requires suppliers to obtain licenses to ship goods and technology to the company. Licenses that could support Huawei’s AI efforts are likely to be denied.
Sources told Reuters last month that TSMC suspended shipments to China-based chip designer Sofgo after its chips matched those found in Huawei’s AI processors. .
Reuters could not reveal how the chip ended up in Huawei’s Ascend 910B, launched in 2022, which is considered the most advanced AI chip available from the Chinese company. Ta.
The crackdown hits more companies and allows the U.S. to assess whether other companies are repurposing Huawei’s AI processor chips. As a result of the letter, TSMC notified affected customers that it would suspend chip shipments starting Monday, the people said.
The Commerce Department declined to comment.
A TSMC spokesperson also commented further stating that TSMC is “a law-abiding company and is committed to complying with all applicable rules and regulations, including applicable export controls.” refused.
The Commerce Department’s notices, known as “informed” letters, allow the U.S. to bypass the lengthy rulemaking process and quickly impose new licensing requirements on certain companies.
Yiwei, a Chinese media outlet covering the semiconductor industry, reported on Friday that TSMC has notified Chinese chip design companies that it will stop shipping chips smaller than 7 nanometers to AI and GPU customers starting November 11th. Ta.
The move comes as both Republican and Democratic lawmakers have expressed concerns about the lack of export controls against China and the Commerce Department’s enforcement of export controls. In 2022, the Department of Commerce sent an informational letter to: Nvidia and AMD Restricting ability to export top AI-related chips to China; chip-making equipment makers such as Lam Research, Applied Materials, and KLA are restricting the export of tools to make advanced chips to China .
The limits contained in these letters have since been transformed into rules that apply to companies beyond those limits.
The United States has been slow to update its rules regarding high-tech exports to China. As Reuters reported in July, the Biden administration has drafted new rules for exporting some chip manufacturing equipment overseas, including chip manufacturing factories, tool manufacturers and related companies on the Commerce Department’s list of restricted entities. The plan was to add about 120 Chinese companies.
However, despite plans for an August release and a subsequent tentative publication target date, the rules have not yet been published.
