Written by Karen Freifeld and Fanny Potkin
NEW YORK/SINGAPORE (Reuters) – The United States has ordered Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. to stop shipping advanced chips commonly used in artificial intelligence applications to Chinese customers starting Monday, 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 has notified affected customers that it will suspend chip shipments starting Monday.
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.
