Minister Gina Raimondo Bloomberg Interview
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo expressed "serious concerns" on the 11th (local time) regarding Chinese Huawei smartphones equipped with 7-nanometer (nm; 1 nanometer is one billionth of a meter) semiconductors, stating that the strongest measures will be taken to protect national security.
In an interview with Bloomberg News on the same day, Secretary Raimondo said, "Whenever we witness concerns, we clearly investigate them."
This statement came after Huawei unveiled its 'Mate60 Pro' smartphone equipped with 7nm semiconductors, which are subject to U.S. export controls against China, at the end of August. It is reported that this high-performance semiconductor was manufactured by China's largest foundry, SMIC, using equipment from the Dutch company ASML. As criticism grew in the U.S. Congress over loopholes in export controls, Secretary Raimondo appears to have reiterated her commitment to strengthening export control enforcement.
Secretary Raimondo said, "Investigations take time," adding, "As you know, we have to continue the investigation and gather information." She emphasized, "What I want to say at this point is that it is concerning," and "We will take the strongest possible measures to protect the United States."
When asked whether the U.S. and Dutch governments are cooperating on the SMIC investigation, Secretary Raimondo avoided a direct answer but said, "I would say it is natural for us to engage in dialogue with our allies while conducting this investigation."
She explained, "We will talk with allies, companies, and sources on the ground," and "We are in quite regular contact with the Dutch government and ASML. They are our partners in export control matters." She added, "I have conversations with them quite regularly, not just about this investigation."
Secretary Raimondo also conveyed that Nvidia recently expressed its intention to comply with government policies banning exports of low-end artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductors to China.
In another interview with foreign media on the same day, she said she met with Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, who stated, "We do not want to break the rules. Please tell us the rules. We will cooperate with the government." Secretary Raimondo emphasized, "Nvidia clearly wants to sell as much as possible but wants to do the right thing," highlighting cooperation with Nvidia regarding export controls to China.
Previously, when U.S. export controls to China made it difficult to export existing products, Nvidia created and supplied AI semiconductors with reduced performance. In response, the Commerce Department issued additional measures in October to block Nvidia's exports of low-end AI semiconductors to China.
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