The U.S. is looking for every loophole that can help Huawei in the advanced chipmaking process. A recent report said that the Biden administration may soon add more Chinese firms to the Entity list, blocking the growth of the chip network in China.

Apart from keeping an eye on China, the U.S. is now investigating other foreign suppliers who can lend a hand to Huawei in semiconductor manufacturing.

Inputs reveal that the U.S. Commerce Department started probing TSMC for chip dealings with Huawei. The investigation is in the early stages and aims to check if the chipmaker has been making any AI or phone chips for Huawei for the time being.

If TSMC is found breaching the U.S. export regulations, it might face huge penalties or even a prohibition on using advanced chipmaking tools or techs temporarily.

Under this investigation, the U.S. authorities have targeted the Mate 60 series’ Kirin 5G 9000s chip and recently developed AI Ascend processor. Both these chipsets significantly contribute to China’s progress in the semiconductor industry.

The Commerce Department inquired TSMC about having any direct or indirect (via different names) chip shipments to Huawei in the past or at present. Investigators are also looking into other related aspects like “know-your-customer checks”.

Issues for TSMC

Further details note that the investigation could trouble TSMC to some extent. The Taiwanese chipmaker is one of the key chipset suppliers for U.S. firms.

Huawei AI chipsets (Image Credits: Huawei)

For instance, Apple and Nvidia mainly rely on TSMC for their processors. Also, the Biden administration was planning a $6.6 billion subsidy for the chipmaker to develop its third fabrication unit in Arizona. However, an investigation could halt benefits for some time.

TSMC responded to this investigation and said that it follows all the U.S. export regulations without fail. Although if there is a problem, then it will take action to guarantee compliance in all possible aspects.

“TSMC is a law-abiding company and we are committed to complying with all applicable regulations. If we have any reason to believe there are issues, we will take prompt action to ensure compliance.”

HuaweiCentral’s Take

The U.S. will try every effort to push back Huawei as done in 2019. But this time, the Chinese OEM is focusing on being self-reliant. A recent report claimed that Huawei Kirin 7nm chip performance can match the level of the 5nm processor of TSMC.

How far the U.S. will stretch this investigation on TSMC chip dealings with Huawei would be worth looking forward to.

U.S. investigates TSMC on chip dealings with Huawei (Image Credits: Huawei/TSMC)

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Zhao Ming took part in a recent livestream interview. He talked about many subjects like AI, large models, business sectors, the Magic 7 series, new features, and more.

During the interrogation, several netizens asked the CEO if Honor would use Kirin chips for its devices anytime. In response, Zhao Ming said that he’s pretty much aware that users hope for such an opportunity. They are eagerly waiting to see the Kirin chip powering Honor smartphones with a new performance boost.

Although it’s unlikely to happen in the short term. Honor has good cooperation with Qualcomm and prefers Snapdragon processors for its flagship models.

“The possibility of using Kirin chips in the short term is not very high and I know everyone also hopes for such an opportunity.” – said Zhao Ming.

Honor devices unlikely to use Kirin chips, but users hope for it: CEO (Image Credits: MyDrivers)

The 360 Group Chairman – Zhou Hongyi questioned if Honor isn’t considering Kirin chips due to its low production capacity and limited supply. Zhao answered that he had no idea about the production volume or any other matter related to it.

It’s not the first time that Honor denied using Kirin chips for its devices. The company’s CMO Jiang Hairong also refuted such rumors saying it’s complete nonsense.

Honor does have the values and core characteristics of Huawei. Although it believes that it can no longer become Huawei and would like to remain a separate company. Zhao also clarified in previous interviews that Honor can defeat its all rivals even if it begins things from scratch.

The CEO stated that the new-gen Honor Magic 7 series will run on Snapdragon 8 Gen 4. We can expect dynamic performance boost with the Magic 7 series.

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DirectorShiGuan notes that the Huawei Mate 70 series Kirin chip is more expensive than the previous versions. It could range from 1100 to 1300 yuan ($157-186).

The price seems a bit similar to some foreign alternatives. For instance, the upcoming Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 may cost $190 whereas, Dimensity 9400 could priced at $155.

If all these price details are accurate, the next-gen Kirin processor might somewhat match its rivals’ pricing. Things aren’t confirmed at present. Thus, let’s take this input with a grain of salt and wait for official details.

Further detail reflects that Huawei is developing its new Kirin chip with more high-end technologies, ensuring better performance. The forthcoming processor will likely run on a 5nm process technology. An official confirmation awaits on this topic.

Huawei Mate 70 series Kirin chip rumored to be expensive (Image Credits: Weibo)

Huawei is reportedly struggling with chip production and the shortage of advanced chipmaking tools. Hence, a 5nm chipset introduction with the Mate 70 still feels like a dream to many consumers. The mist will get clear by the next month.

Some previous reports suggested that the upcoming Kirin chip could rival Snapdragon 8 gen 2 processors. It will offer a more significant boost in performance than the 9000s chipsets. Besides, the processor may unveil several new capabilities.

The company is expected to use a robust CPU architecture that can improve the GPU performance. It may also unlock enhanced gaming and numerous AI services to ease the day-to-day tasks and efficiency aspects of the new smartphones.

Huawei may unveil the Mate 70 series with a new Kirin chip and the most-awaited HarmonyOS NEXT in November. The company hasn’t confirmed the details yet. Although we may soon get more info on this matter after the HarmonyOS NEXT public beta program. Stay tuned for more revelations on this subject.

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China Telecom is one of the world’s largest mobile network service providers and the second-largest wireless carrier in China. Besides providing useful services and seamless experiences, it also develops large AI models with advanced capabilities.

The telecom recently developed two large language models that were trained using Chinese AI chips. One of these is TeleChat2-115B while the other one is unnamed.

In a statement, the telecom operator said that its open-source large AI models rely on tens of thousands of domestically produced chips. One of these models has 1 trillion parameters. The effectiveness of AI models mostly depends on the parameter scales.

The AI Institute at China Telecom shared the news via WeChat and further stated: “… the achievement indicates that China has truly realized total self-sufficiency in domestic LLM training.”

China Telecom reportedly chose Huawei AI chips over Nvidia (Image Credits: Huawei)

Huawei AI Chips

China Telecom didn’t reveal the chip supplier’s name. But it has a cooperation with Huawei. Both firms have developed several network solutions that can benefit both operators and consumers, providing a rich and efficient network experience.

Earlier, the telecom operator mentioned that it is making new AI models with Huawei Ascend chips. China has already started sidelining Nvidia and other foreign chipmakers to a greater extent, promoting native suppliers and self-reliance.

This will also help to counter the U.S. sanctions that have been a major hurdle in China’s progress in the chip field. Thus, China Telecom would likely have used Huawei chips for its newly developed AI models over Nvidia and any other U.S. alternative.

Apart from Huawei, another AI chip supplier could be the Cambricon. These companies would have helped China Telecom in building the new AI models with immense efficiency.

Huawei has started sampling the new Ascend 910C chips to some Chinese AI firms. The company is expected to officially introduce the new processor this month. Ascend 910B is expected to extend the Chinese customers for the company in the high-end AI chip market.

China Telecom reportedly chose Huawei AI chips over Nvidia (Image credits: China Telecom)

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ByteDance is a Chinese IT company and the developer of the famous video-sharing platforms: TikTok and Douyin. It also makes large language models like Doubao.

Now a new input says that ByteDance is planning to develop another AI LLM model using Huawei Ascend 910B chips. The news is yet to be confirmed by the company. However, the current ordered chips figure shows that the IT firm may choose Huawei over Nvidia.

Yes, ByteDance has already purchased more than 100000 Huawei Ascend 910B AI chips this year. Due to tight supply and production challenges, the IT company has received 30% of the order as of July 2024. Huawei may soon deliver the left-out order.

Further details state that ByteDance has opted for the Huawei AI chips as an alternative to the Nvidia H20 chips. Following the U.S. restrictions, Nvidia has to serve Chinese firms with low-efficient chips that are good enough to perform but aren’t very reliable. As a result, the Chinese companies turned towards native suppliers.

Companies like ByteDance hope that Huawei and its AI techs are perfect. Even though the Ascend 910B chips aren’t as advanced as Nvidia’s chips. But their performance level and efficiency are far better than the A100 processors (20% more efficient).

On the other hand, using Ascend AI chips will ultimately reduce China’s dependency on foreign chipmakers like Nvidia. Huawei is also making efforts to enhance its chip production and become more efficient in the semiconductor industry.

ByteDance ordered 100000 Huawei Ascend 910B chips to replace Nvidia (Image Credits: Huawei)

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As noted by Bloomberg, Chinese regulators directed local firms and enterprise customers to prohibit Nvidia H20 usage. The H20 is a China-specific chip. It’s a special but low-end version of the Nvidia H800. The chip is used to train AI models.

Following the U.S. ban, Chinese companies relied on Nvidia’s chipsets for AI models and other related technologies. However, China now aims to support its native techs and firms over U.S. products, increasing its self-reliance and economic growth.

Inputs reveal that Chinese regulators like the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued a set of new rules under ‘window guidance’. It encourages the firms to switch to local chipmakers and reduce the Nvidia use as far as possible.

Huawei and Cambricon are currently the top AI chipmakers in China. A direct prohibition of Nvidia chips in the region will ultimately help the native chip producers to increase their market share. The aim is to support native AI startups over foreign firms.

People related to the matter say that it’s not possible to completely ban Nvidia chips in the region. Many companies are looking to develop the best AI system which requires foreign processors instead of local options. But the condition is that the Nvidia chips’ usage should be minimal.

Another input notes that Nvidia shares fell to 3.9% ($119.26) by Friday. When asked to the CEO of Nvidia – Jensen Huang about the entire matter, he said:

“The first thing we have to do is comply with whatever policies and regulations that are being imposed. And, meanwhile, do the best we can to compete in the markets that we serve. We have a lot of customers there that depend on us, and we’ll do our best to support them.”

While Chinese chipmakers are readying alternatives to Nvidia’s chips, local companies are stockpiling foreign chips before the U.S. export controls reach a new level. For instance, ByteDance ordered 200000+ Nvidia H20 chips this year worth $2 billion.

Huawei, on the other hand, is also taking major steps in this matter. After months of internal testing, the company is now sending its Ascend 910C AI chip samples to top tech firms, expanding its strength in the AI chip sector. Read More…

It would be worth seeing how the next-gen Huawei AI chips will counterattack Nvidia H20 processors.

China directs local firms to buy Huawei AI chips over Nvidia H20 (Image Credits: Huawei)

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According to DigiTimesAsia, the Huawei Mate 70 series is getting full support in China ahead of its official unveiling. The upcoming smartphone lineup is backed by government and financial support to avoid any issues during or after its launch.

But some Chinese suppliers including SMIC are on the verge of sacrificing profit due to the Huawei Mate 70 series. Inputs reveal that the chipmaker’s revenue for the fourth quarter of this year may slightly decline from the previous quarter.

A major reason behind this decline is the year-end seasonality. In other words, the chip manufacturing firm faces certain fluctuations during this period every year.

Despite the profit risk, SMIC is also working to build a more refined and efficient version of the Kirin chip for the Mate 70 series. The company is in rumors to seed a 5nm processor in the next Mate devices that can boost the performance significantly.

SMIC has also been blacklisted by the U.S. authorities. As a result, the firm is making 7nm chips fabricated on outdated DUV machines. Due to the ban, the company cannot access advanced chipmaking tools to build better and upgraded processors.

SMIC could risk profit to supply Kirin chip for Huawei Mate 70 (Image Credits: Huawei)

However, reports said that SMIC has laid the production lines for a 5nm chip at the outset of this year. The alleged chip has entered the small-scale production already and claims to improve the power efficiency. Read More

The accuracy of this news is still a question. But following these hints, SMIC could risk profit to supply Kirin chips to Huawei Mate 70 models. If true, this risk could turn into a huge success as a 5nm chip would be a breakthrough for the Chinese semiconductor industry.

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SMEE (Shanghai Micro Electronics Equipment) filed a new EUV patent. It is entitled “extreme ultraviolet [EUV] radiation generators and lithography equipment”.

The patent was issued in March 2023 and is now being examined by the Chinese Intellectual Property Administration. However, it may soon receive approval.

EUV or the Extreme UltraViolet Lithography machines help to make high-end processors with the use of light. This ray has a wavelength of 13.5nm which is 14 times less than DUV (193nm). EUV is required to build chips smaller than 7nm.

SMEE Company:

Among several Chinese companies, SMEE also comes in U.S. blacklisted firms. The company was unable to use foreign goods or chipmaking tools following the sanctions. However, the new patent has appeared as a ray of hope amid the chip war.

The patent details are currently unknown. But it indicates that SMEE is slowly taking steps towards new chipmaking tools. China is dependent on DUV (Deep UltraViolet) lithography machines for making its devices and smart product processors.

However, it seems SMEE is progressing in the EUV lithography after years of effort and dedication and will be able to produce processors at the 28nm level or below.

New EUV patent hints Huawei could progress in chip field despite US ban (Image Credits: Huawei)

It’s good news since the U.S. has restricted many foreign suppliers from shipping their advanced chipset-making tools to China. One of them is ASML which still accounts for a big share of the Chinese market for lithography machines.

But now the Netherlands is planning to hold back ASML from supplying its chipmaking tools in China (read the complete report HERE). At such a stage, the new EUV patent news has appeared as a boon in the Chinese chipmaking progress.

U.S. may block ASML to supply chipmaking tools in China (Image Credits: Reuters)

How it will impact Huawei?

The new patent will help Huawei to progress in the chip-making processes. Currently, the firm builds its Kirin chips in the SMIC foundry using the stocked DUV equipment. It is also seeking ways to improve its 7nm chip before proceeding with new techs.

With advanced chip-making equipment, Huawei devices may get access to high-end chips and AI processors. We have to wait for more details on this matter for a clear view.

[Source – SCMP]

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Bloomberg noted that most of the ASML trade licenses will expire later this year. These licenses are an official approval of shipping certain chipmaking tools like DUV lithography machines to China. Many Chinese firms depend on this equipment.

ASML can request license renewal but the Netherlands government might reject it. This could be a follow-up of the U.S. trade export controls that have been limiting foreign suppliers to deliver advanced tools or chipmaking machines in China.

Biden administration has said to increase the security measures for its partner countries as well. This will ultimately prohibit the other regions from doing business with the Chinese companies, creating an absence of advanced tech products.

Inputs reveal that ASML ships the chip-producing tools with maintenance agreements that help to keep the equipment alive. However, a limitation on selling these machines could soon make them inoperable.

Netherlands to limit ASML chipmaking tools for Huawei and other Chinese firms (Image Credits: ASML)

Neither ASML nor the Dutch government has commented on this matter so far. If correct, such a step will increase problems for Huawei and other chipmakers in China. For now, ASML is the main supplier of chip equipment for Chinese firms.

However, blocking ASML from supplying chipmaking tools will affect Huawei and the Chinese chipset industry. It will also impact the chipmaker and its overall growth in the Chinese market. As per reports, China is already 2-3 years behind in the chip race.

The decision to restrict ASML from shipping chipmaking equipment to China is still under consideration and hasn’t been confirmed. How Huawei and Chinese companies will react on this matter would be worth looking forward to.

[Source – Bloomberg]

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China’s General Administration of Customs released a new report this week. It says that the native region has broken all the records in the past three years (2021). Chinese companies have imported chipmaking tools worth $26 billion this year.

The report reveals that China is stocking up chipmaking machinery in advance. It’s eventually a backup in case the U.S. authorities impose further restrictions on Chinese firms for buying high-end technologies to develop powerful chipsets.

Also, the ultimate move has arrived when the American, Japanese, as well as Dutch governments are looking to push off more limitations on the Chinese firms.

Chinese semiconductor components (Image Credits: Huawei)

Inputs reveal that the Chinese companies bought chipmaking equipment from Tokyo Electron Ltd., ASML Holding NV, and Applied Materials Inc. last year.

During the gap of seven to eight months, these companies also purchased inferior equipment due to increased trade export controls. Notably, a high importing from the Dutch (ASML) helped the country to increase its sales by $2 billion in July 2024.

ASML Tools

ASML chipmaking tools shipment to China reached 21% in Q2 2024. For now, ASML is the only supplier of advanced chipmaking machines like lithography equipment. Chinese companies have purchased most of the tools from ASML. These firms aim to make more efficient processors using old and unrepaired systems.

The latest report implies that China has achieved 15% wafer production per month this year. With constant efforts, the Chinese firms could meet the goal of 10.1 million wafers per month by 2025. Perhaps U.S. challenges won’t stop China from pacing ahead.

Chinese firms purchased chipmaking tools worth $26 billion amid U.S. ban (Image Credits: ASML)

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