Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has firmly denied being investigated by US authorities over its dealings with Huawei, following reports that its chips were found in the Chinese tech giant’s products.
The world’s largest contract chipmaker has stressed its commitment to adhering to all relevant export control laws, dismissing claims of any ongoing US probe related to its compliance.
“TSMC is a law-abiding company, and we are committed to complying with all applicable rules and regulations, including export controls,” a company spokesperson said in a statement on Wednesday.
This response followed a report from The Information last week, which alleged that the US Commerce Department was investigating whether TSMC had supplied AI or smartphone chips to Huawei, potentially violating US export rules.
The chipmaker clarified that it had not supplied any chips to Huawei since mid-September 2020 after the Chinese firm was placed on a US trade blacklist in 2019 due to national security concerns.
“We proactively communicate with the U.S. Commerce Department regarding the matter in the report. We are not aware of TSMC being the subject of any investigation at this time,” the spokesperson added.
The scrutiny surrounding TSMC’s dealings with Huawei intensified after Reuters reported that one of TSMC’s chips was allegedly found in a Huawei product, raising concerns about a potential breach of US export regulations.
This discovery reportedly came to light after tech research firm TechInsights dismantled a Huawei device and identified a TSMC chip within its multi-chip system.
However, TechInsights has not released a formal report, and TSMC declined to comment further on the matter.
The renewed attention on Huawei’s access to advanced semiconductor technology follows the company’s release of a smartphone featuring a 5G chip—technology that the US had aimed to restrict.
Both the US Commerce Department and Huawei have not yet responded to requests for comment.
TSMC’s shares took a hit on the news, falling 1.4% on Wednesday.
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