TSMC placed Chinese companies Huawei and SMIC on its export control list. The Taiwanese chip maker forces both firms to obtain permits before buying foreign equipment. Taiwan's trade ministry added 601 companies to the restricted list during June. The updated restrictions cover businesses from Russia, Pakistan, Iran, and Myanmar. Officials cited national security concerns when making these decisions.
Huawei faced previous US bans that stopped American companies from working with the Chinese tech giant. TSMC stopped shipping products to Huawei back during September 2020. Regulators fined TSMC one billion dollars after finding its chips inside Huawei devices. The penalty pushed TSMC to create stronger review processes for customer orders. Export controls make it harder for Chinese companies to access advanced semiconductor technology.
China responds by building domestic chip manufacturing capabilities. Chinese engineers plan to test homemade EUV machines during the third quarter of 2025. Huawei's partner SiCarrier develops equipment to compete with Dutch company ASML. These efforts help China reduce dependence on foreign chip technology. The restrictions may speed up China's push toward semiconductor independence.
Huawei faced previous US bans that stopped American companies from working with the Chinese tech giant. TSMC stopped shipping products to Huawei back during September 2020. Regulators fined TSMC one billion dollars after finding its chips inside Huawei devices. The penalty pushed TSMC to create stronger review processes for customer orders. Export controls make it harder for Chinese companies to access advanced semiconductor technology.
China responds by building domestic chip manufacturing capabilities. Chinese engineers plan to test homemade EUV machines during the third quarter of 2025. Huawei's partner SiCarrier develops equipment to compete with Dutch company ASML. These efforts help China reduce dependence on foreign chip technology. The restrictions may speed up China's push toward semiconductor independence.
