Chinese tech giant Huawei is reportedly building secret semiconductor-fabrication facilities in China to bypass U.S. sanctions and acquire American chip-making equipment indirectly, according to a warning from the Semiconductor Industry Association.
Chinese chip stocks rally after Huawei's launch of the Mate 60 Pro phone, with investors speculating that it could be using a 5G capable chip, potentially benefitting China's local semiconductor sector.
Chinese smartphone company Huawei has released its latest model, the Mate 60 Pro, which features an advanced chip designed and manufactured in China, despite US sanctions intended to hinder the country's technological progress, showcasing China's ability to innovate without relying on US technology.
The launch of Huawei's new smartphone raises questions about global technology and control of the future, as the Chinese company unveils a smartphone powered by an advanced chip, potentially challenging US efforts to block China from acquiring cutting-edge computer chips.
China has defied US-led export restrictions by producing a 5G smartphone, Huawei's Mate 60 Pro, using an advanced silicon chip made by Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC), indicating progress in China's efforts to build a domestic chip ecosystem.
The US government is seeking more information about the Huawei Mate 60 Pro smartphone, particularly its advanced chip, to determine if American restrictions on semiconductor exports were bypassed.
The chair of the House of Representatives' committee on China has called for the U.S. Commerce Department to halt all technology exports to Huawei and China's top semiconductor firm, SMIC, after the discovery of new chips in Huawei phones that may violate trade restrictions.
The recent unveiling of Huawei's Mate 60 Pro smartphone, powered by the Kirin 9000s chip, has sparked debates about its significance in the US-China technology cold war.
Ten Republican lawmakers are urging the Commerce Department to impose stricter sanctions on Huawei and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC), after the companies showcased a domestically manufactured advanced smartphone chip that allegedly violated U.S. export controls, prompting concerns about the effectiveness of current export controls in preventing U.S. technology from reaching China.
The U.S. government is investigating how Huawei and SMIC managed to create 7nm Kirin 9000S 5G chipsets in violation of American sanctions, while Foxconn workers assembling the Huawei Mate 60 Pro in China are paid 19.2% more than those assembling the iPhone.
Huawei's chip design unit, HiSilicon, is shipping new Chinese-made chips for surveillance cameras, indicating that the company is finding ways around the US export controls and reclaiming market share in the sector.
