Mystery Surrounds Discovery of TSMC Technology Inside Huawei AI Chips

Huawei’s new Ascend 910B AI chips have been found to contain core circuitry from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), despite U.S. sanctions aimed at blocking such technology transfers.

The discovery, made by research firm TechInsights, highlights the challenges in fully isolating China’s technology supply chain. TSMC suspects its technology may have reached Huawei through Sophgo, a Chinese chip company, or from Huawei stockpiles predating the sanctions. TSMC has canceled suspicious orders from Sophgo and informed U.S. regulators. Sophgo denies involvement with Huawei. The Wall Street Journal.

The U.S. Commerce Department remains committed to enforcing export controls, acknowledging potential national security implications due to AI’s military applications.