The US Department of Commerce has blacklisted more than 20 Chinese AI development companies for smuggling Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) chips to Huawei.
The administration of US President Joe Biden has added 25 Chinese AI development companies to the trade restriction list, including Zhipu AI - a developer of large language models and Sophgo - a company that buys chips from TSMC and supplies them to Huawei's artificial intelligence processors.
The US puts 25 Chinese AI development companies on the "blacklist".
In addition to the sanctions, the US Department of Commerce also increased controls on the flow of chips into China to better prevent diversion to Huawei.
Zhipu AI, Sophgo and related entities are among 25 China-based companies and two Singapore-based companies recently added to the U.S. Commerce Department's Entity List. Companies on the list cannot receive goods or export technology without a license.
The Sophgo name attracted attention after a chip found on Huawei's Ascend 910B multi-chip AI system matched the chip the company ordered from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.
Huawei was blacklisted in 2019 and is now at the center of China’s AI chip ambitions. Sophgo is one of several companies that have been sanctioned for helping Huawei. Late last year, the US Commerce Department added other companies it said were part of Huawei’s shadow network to its trade blacklist.
The US recently announced tighter rules on the export of semiconductors that can be used for AI. The new rules follow restrictions the US imposed on TSMC after the company's chips were found in Huawei's Ascend 910B multi-chip system.
Chinese companies are blacklisted for smuggling chips to Huawei.
The latest rule adds new controls on chip factories and packaging companies that want to export certain types of chips, building on previous measures aimed at blocking China from accessing chips that could help its military.
The new restrictions affect chips at 14 or 16 nanometer nodes or below that meet certain specifications and can be used in AI applications, and impact companies beyond TSMC.
Chipmakers can bypass licensing requirements if they meet certain conditions, such as working with trusted chip packagers and approved designers, and complying with due diligence and reporting obligations. "We are holding foundries accountable for verifying that their chips are not being diverted to restricted entities," said U.S. Commerce official Alan Estevez.
The regulation also imposes tighter restrictions on a type of memory called DRAM, which is needed to create high-bandwidth memory used in AI processors. The DRAM change is likely to affect the goods and technology available to Chinese memory chip maker Changxin Memory Technologies, also known as CXMT, by imposing controls on more of the company's facilities, according to chip experts.
Companies are added to the Entity List because of activities deemed contrary to the national security or foreign policy of the United States.
Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/hon-20-doanh-nghiep-ai-trung-quoc-bi-my-dua-vao-danh-sach-den-192250116090921403.htm
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