[News] U.S. Department of Commerce Claims Huawei Chips Not as Advanced, Lag Behind U.S. Chips by Several Years

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U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo recently stated that chips used by the Chinese company Huawei in their earlier Mate 60 Pro smartphone are not as advanced as those produced in the United States.

According to a report from Reuters, Huawei has been under trade restrictions since 2019, surprised the global industry and the U.S. government in August 2023 by unveiling a new smartphone featuring advanced chips. Despite Washington’s ongoing efforts to weaken China’s capabilities in advanced semiconductor research and production, the Huawei Mate 60 Pro is still regarded as a symbol of technological breakthrough in China.

Following the release of the chips used in the Mate 60 Pro, many believed that Gina Raimondo’s efforts to restrict Chinese semiconductors were futile. However, Gina Raimondo recently refuted this viewpoint. She pointed out that the new chips introduced by Huawei are not as capable and lag behind U.S. chips by several years in performance, indicating that U.S. export controls on China are effective.

The same report indicates that Washington has been striving for years to weaken China’s capabilities in advanced chip production and the manufacture of equipment required for these chips. The concern is that these chips could be used to enhance China’s military capabilities, with Huawei being a key player.

Therefore, after Huawei was placed on the U.S. government’s Entity List for export control in 2019, related U.S. suppliers struggled to obtain licenses to ship goods to Huawei. Notably, the sources cited in the report cited by Reuters on March 12th once stated that Intel’s competitor, AMD, had applied for a similar license to sell comparable chips in early 2021 but did not receive approval from the US Department of Commerce.

Nevertheless, Intel has been granted licenses worth billions of dollars to continue selling products to Huawei. Additionally, Huawei has also launched its first artificial intelligence notebook featuring Intel chips this month, leading to further controversies. Moreover, as per reports from The Register, Intel is reportedly preparing to follow in NVIDIA’s footsteps by developing “special edition” versions of its AI acceleration chips, Gaudi 3, for the Chinese market.

When asked if the White House’s stance on business with China is tough enough, Gina Raimondo emphasized the need for accountability from companies and everyone alike. She acknowledged that it wasn’t popular with suppliers when she told them they couldn’t sell semiconductor products to China, but ultimately she made that decision.

The emergence of the new generation of Huawei smartphones has also prompted the US administration to conduct dismantling reviews and gain insights into the technology details behind the chips, which are the most advanced semiconductors produced by China to date. However, few details about the related review have been disclosed.

Read more

• [News] Following in NVIDIA’s Footsteps? Intel Reportedly Plans to Launch Chinese Version of AI Chips
• [News] Intel Rumored to Temporarily Retain Chip Supply License to Huawei, While AMD Awaits Response

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