Secretary Gina Raimondo Testifies Before Senate
Possibility of Additional Export Control Measures by the Department of Commerce
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo described the unveiling of Huawei's latest smartphone featuring advanced semiconductors as "incredibly shocking" and hinted that the Commerce Department may introduce additional export control measures.
According to Bloomberg and other outlets on the 4th (local time), Secretary Raimondo appeared before the Senate Commerce Committee and stated, "We need other tools. Additional resources are necessary for enforcement," emphasizing the need for further action.
Raimondo's remarks came after Huawei unveiled the Mate60 Pro equipped with the Kirin 9000s mobile processor, manufactured using an advanced 7-nanometer (nm; 1 nm is one billionth of a meter) process last month. The news that China succeeded in producing advanced semiconductors despite U.S. sanctions has raised questions about the effectiveness of those sanctions.
As a result, there is analysis suggesting that the U.S. may impose additional sanctions. A foreign media outlet recently reported, citing sources, that the Biden administration warned it might update export controls on semiconductor equipment and artificial intelligence (AI) exports to China. This is interpreted as a possible strengthening of the export restrictions announced on October 7 last year.
Secretary Raimondo did not disclose whether the Commerce Department's investigation into Huawei is ongoing. However, she expressed satisfaction over imposing the largest-ever fine on Seagate, a U.S. company that sold products to Huawei without separate authorization earlier this year, saying, "We are ruthless when necessary, but we need more resources."
Earlier, last month, Raimondo testified before the U.S. House Science, Space, and Technology Committee, stating, "We have no evidence that China can manufacture 7-nanometer chips on a large scale," and added, "While I cannot comment on any specific investigation, I promise this: whenever we find credible evidence that any company has circumvented our export controls, we investigate."
Meanwhile, Raimondo expressed her intention to announce the first recipients of a $39 billion semiconductor support program (approximately 52.9 trillion won) starting this fall. She said, "We are moving as quickly as possible, but doing it right is more important than doing it fast," and added, "I hope to announce this this fall."
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