‘Catastrophic’ Export Control Failure

Reports that Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation chips have fueled the artificial intelligence accelerators of Chinese chip maker Huawei signal a “catastrophic failure of US export control policy,” according to House Select Committee on China Chairman John Moolenaar (R-Mich).

“AI accelerators, like the one that these chips fueled, are at the forefront of our technology race with the CCP, and I fear the damage done here will have significant consequences for our national security,” he said in a statement.

“Congress needs immediate answers from both BIS and TSMC about the scope and volume of this disaster. The US government must take immediate steps to ensure this does not happen again.”

TSMC has notified the US government that one of its chips had been found in a Huawei product after tech research firm TechInsights took apart the product, according to press reports.

The teardown was of Huawei's Ascend 910B, Reuters news service reported. The 910B is viewed as the most advanced AI chip available from a Chinese company, Reuters said.

TSMC said in a statement on Monday that it had proactively reached out to the Commerce Department regarding the matter. It said it had not supplied chips to Huawei since mid-September 2020. “We are not aware of TSMC being the subject of any investigation at this time,” the company said.

The Commerce Department said in a statement it is “aware of reporting alleging potential violations of U.S. export controls,” butcannot comment on whether any investigation is ongoing.