Taiwan puts companies on an export list for China's AI ambitions
Taiwan puts companies on an export list for China's AI ambitions
Taiwan has put the Chinese technology giants Huawei and the semiconductor Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC) on his list of export controls. This step strengthens Taiwan's efforts to coordinate Washington and act against companies, drive China's ambitions in the field of artificial intelligence (AI).
export controls and national security
The Taiwanese International trade Administration has published updated regulations last week, in which it classifies Huawei and Smic as well as numerous other companies in China, Myanmar, Russia, Iran and Pakistan as strategic high technology components. From now on, Taiwanese companies have to apply for permits before exporting the companies mentioned.
increasing tensions between the USA and China
The new rules have been announced, while the tensions between the USA and China in the field of advanced technologies, including semiconductors and AI. Washington is increasingly concerned that its technologies are used for military applications in China. Last month, the Trump administration restricted the sale of software for chip development to China as part of the ongoing trade war with Beijing.
Taiwan's strategic cooperation with the USA
This decision is a clear reference to the active strategy of the Taiwanese government to work closely with the United States, its largest unofficial partner, in order to close any loopholes in the technology restrictions against Beijing. China sees the self -managed Taiwan as part of his territory, although it was never under control.
The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the largest order manufacturer of chips worldwide and supplier of Apple and the AI-Riesen Nvidia, had produced microchips for Huawei until 2020. This year, however, the Trump administration effectively banned the delivery of the Chinese company. Since the export was stopped, Huawei turned to Smic, which is also faced with US restrictions to obtain chips.
symbolic meaning of export controls
experts believe that Taiwan's decision to attract the screws against Huawei, Smic and their subsidiaries is largely symbolic because there are already US restrictions. CNN asked Huawei and Smic to comment.
"This reflects the clearer intention of the Taiwanese government to adapt its export control regulations more closely to those of the United States," said Min-Yen Chiang, a non-resident research employee at the Research Institute for Democracy, Society, and Emerging Technology, a state-funded think tank in Taipeh. "In fact, Taiwan is the second country in the world - after the United States - that put Smic and Huawei on an export control list."
The consequences of export controls
This proactive measure signals that the Taiwanese government recognizes the need to play an active role in working with the US government and to address the security policy concerns. Chiang added: "As far as I understand, the US government has long hoped that Taiwan is taking a larger initiative in the regulation of sensitive exports instead of just following Washington." According to reports, Chips from TSMC were discovered in a Huawei AI processor at the end of last year. Despite the clarification of TSMC that no delivery to Huawei has been carried out since 2020, the incident was incorporated in Washington that certain chips may have been redirected for another Chinese company.
The chip monopoly and the reactions
according to Reuters The U.S. Ministry of Trade the incident and TSMC could count on a fine of $ 1 billion or more. In November, the Ministry also ordered the Taiwanese company to stop the shipping of advanced chips to China.
"Although the new controls are not a direct reaction to this specific incident, the find of TSMC chips in Huawei products served as a wake-up call last year to get both TSMC and the Taiwanese government to rethink and identify existing surveillance mechanisms that affect indirect care problems," said Brady Wang, said Deputy director at Counterpoint Research, a market research company.
The chip wars
During his first term, US President Donald Trump set up targeted restrictions against companies such as Huawei, banned American companies and restricted the sale of chips to these companies. In 2022, the then President Joe Biden tightened these efforts and reduced the sale of state -of -the -art semiconductors to China from concerns that they could strengthen his military.
The controls were then extended in order to also restrictions when selling chip manufacturing systems, To lock up memory chips as well as products that are produced outside of the United States with American technology.
The increasing restrictions set the strategic sectors of China, which are prioritized by President XI Jinping, under considerable pressure, including the semiconductor and AI industry. Nevertheless, Huawei and Smic have made progress in the production of advanced chips, and Beijing puts great hopes for these companies as the driver of innovation.
The future of the semiconductor industry in China
Although the US restrictions initially significantly impaired Huawei's business, the company celebrated a remarkable comeback in 2023 with the introduction of its Mate 60 smartphones, which is operated by Smic with advanced chips. This market launch even solved Investigations from the US government.
galen Zeng, a senior research manager at IDC, a market research company, said on Monday that the timing of Taiwan's export controls reflects several strategic considerations, including Washington's concerns with regard to the progressive chips in Huaweis.
"In combination with the US concerns about indirect supply paths, these developments have urged Taiwan to sharpen its export control mechanisms and increase transparency in the supply chain," he said.
Although Huawei and Smic may have to search for domestic alternatives in response to export controls, such restrictions would benefit Chinese suppliers in the long term, Zeng added. "In the long term, this will probably accelerate China's efforts after semiconductor cariie and benefit domestic equipment, material and component suppliers."
in a rare Interview Last week, the founder of the founder of Huawei, the effects of the US technology restrictions on Huawei and China as a whole and noticed that chip technology was a generation behind the US technology. "There is actually no reason to worry about the chip problem. With methods such as stacks and clusters, the calculation results are comparable to the most advanced levels," he said, referring to the customary approach to bundle several chips to achieve higher performance.