"US Government Orders TSMC to Halt Advanced Semiconductor Supply to China"

Major Foreign Media Reports
TSMC Processor Found in Huawei Chipset
US Department of Commerce Appears to Take Action

The U.S. government has reportedly ordered Taiwan's TSMC, the world's largest foundry (semiconductor contract manufacturer), to halt the supply of high-performance semiconductors to China, according to major foreign media on the 9th (local time).

Reuters Yonhap News

According to foreign reports, the U.S. Department of Commerce is said to have sent a letter to TSMC imposing export restrictions to China on advanced semiconductors of 7nm (nanometers = one billionth of a meter) or below, used in AI (artificial intelligence) accelerators or graphics processing units (GPUs).

The Department of Commerce's letter, called an 'information provision' letter, can indirectly impose licensing conditions on specific companies.

Earlier, the UK Financial Times (FT) reported that TSMC notified its Chinese customers that it would no longer accept orders for semiconductors of 7nm or below starting from the 11th.

Summarizing foreign media reports, this decision appears to have been made under orders from the U.S. government. However, the U.S. Department of Commerce has not commented on the reports.

TSMC also stated that it is a company that complies with the law and only said, "We are striving to comply with all regulations, including export controls."

Market research firm TechInsights revealed that it found TSMC processors after dismantling Huawei's advanced AI chipset 'Ascend 910B.' Released in 2022, the Ascend 910B is known as the most advanced AI chipset produced by a Chinese company.

The U.S. government, citing national security concerns, prohibited Huawei from purchasing semiconductors made using U.S.-made equipment in 2020. TSMC heavily relies on U.S.-made equipment to manufacture semiconductors. At that time, TSMC stated that it had done nothing wrong and would cooperate with the U.S. Department of Commerce to investigate the issue.

Major foreign media reported, "Since crackdowns are being conducted on multiple companies, it will be possible to check whether other companies are also involved in 'semiconductor diversion' to Huawei."