According to Reuters’ reports, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturers (TSMC) may pay more than $ 1 billion to solve the US export control investigation related to chips used in Huawei AI processors.
TSMC has not provided any more opinions in the current quiet period, and Chipmaker’s spokesman told Techcrunch in an email.
This is the latest development of the first time in late 2024, related to Chinese chip designers TSMC, HUAWEI and XIAMEN SOPHHOROTO TECHNOLOGIES. SOPHGO is a series of Bitmain, a Bitcoin Mining Equipment supplier, and TSMC is the world’s largest contract chip maker.
According to the report at the time, TSMC’s export control AI chip die entered the ASCEND 910B AI processor, a mass -produced AI accelerator of a large amount of TSMC.
Nesting-Doll The chip of TSMC is built into the chip of SOPHGO, and the chip in SOPHO is later built into the ASCEND 901b.
This is important because Huawei’s multi -chief processor is considered the most advanced in China, as well as export rules. It is estimated that this processor has produced hundreds of thousands of processors with these components.
TSMC said, “TSMC is a legal management company and we are trying to comply with all relevant rules and regulations, including the relevant export control.” According to regulatory requirements, TSMC has not been supplied to HUAWEI since mid -September 2020. If there is a reasonable reason to have potential problems, we will take prompt measures to guarantee the regulations, including the relevant parties with the relevant parties, including the customer and regulatory departments in connection with customers and regulators.
TSMC’s chip shipment timeline
October 2024
Techinsights, a technology research company in Ottawa, Canada, disassembled Huawei’s 910B AI processor and found a TSMC -based chipset inside the Reuters. The chipset was similar to the chipset created by SOPHGO. SOPHGO argued that the US Department of Commerce’s investigation into the potential connection between TSMC and Huawei is not related to SOPHGO or its product. SOPHGO added that he had never made a direct or indirect business with Huawei.
November 2024
The US Department of Commerce ordered TSMC to discontinue high -end chips to Chinese customers, including Sophico.
December 2024
The US Department of Commerce has considered adding Sogo to American blacklists.
January 2025
The United States then added more than 20 Chinese companies, including Zhepu AI and SOPHGO, which specialize in developing large language models.
