On October 23, 2024, an investigation into Huawei Technologies Co.'s latest artificial intelligence offerings revealed that the company has utilized an advanced processor manufactured by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC). This raises questions about China's ability to produce advanced chips independently.
Research firm TechInsights conducted a teardown of Huawei's high-end AI accelerators and discovered an Ascend 910B chip produced by TSMC. The findings suggest that Huawei may have acquired these components despite being on a US sanctions list since August 2020, which prohibits the company from engaging with TSMC without a government license.
Huawei has relied on Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. for chip production in recent years, particularly a 7-nanometer chip introduced last August. However, US officials have expressed skepticism regarding SMIC's capability to manufacture such technology at scale.
TSMC stated it has ceased all shipments to Huawei since mid-September 2020, reaffirming its compliance with US export controls. In contrast, Huawei denied any production of chips via TSMC post-sanctions and asserted that it has not launched the 910B chip.