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China AI Hardware

TSMC Halts Advanced Chip Shipments To Chinese AI Companies 18

Starting November 11, TSMC plans to stop supplying 7 nm and smaller chips to Chinese companies working on AI processors and GPUs. "The move is reportedly to ensure it remains compliant with US export restrictions," reports The Register. From the report: This will not affect Chinese customers wanting 7 nm chips from TSMC for other applications such as mobile and communications, according to Nikkei, which said the overall impact on the chipmaker's revenue is likely to be minimal. TrendForce further cites another China-based source who claims the move was at the behest of the US Department of Commerce, which informed TSMC that any such shipments should not proceed unless approved and licensed by its BIS (Bureau of Industry and Security). We asked the agency for confirmation.

Any moves by the silicon supremo is likely to be out of caution to pre-empt accusations from Washington that it isn't doing enough to prevent advanced technology from getting into the hands of Chinese entities that have been sanctioned. As TrendForce notes, it "highlights the foundry giant's delicate position in the global semiconductor supply chain amid the heating chip war between the world's two superpowers."

TSMC Halts Advanced Chip Shipments To Chinese AI Companies

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  • by Njovich ( 553857 ) on Friday November 08, 2024 @11:23PM (#64932231)

    China was pretty happy to buy their multi billion dollar fabbing, etching and lithography from the west and Taiwan, but being forced to make it themselves, they surely will now. Huawei is now making advanced AI chips using US etching tech that Applied Materials and LAM happily provided to China, and older DUV processes from ASML. (https://archive.is/zIZqW)

    While behind on ASML's EUV tech, apparently they are able to make competitive chips anyway. Given that the Chinese government has now made it a priority under US pressure, it's a matter of time that they will fill van n the gaps.

    ASML is the biggest European tech firm, and it will likely be overtaken by China because of the current US policy.

    • I will believe the Chinese can make a decent chip when it is independently tested. Their state media claiming it means nothing.
    • by cusco ( 717999 )

      Once again US sanctions not only fail to achieve their goal but in fact manage the opposite. Now China is rapidly developing their own domestic chip industry, including lithography systems that appear to be more efficient than what they had formerly been purchasing. Congratulations to the US State Department!

    • by MrL0G1C ( 867445 )

      "Chinese customers accounted for over 25% of ASML's revenue in 2023 and China represents a major market for the world's top maker of lithography tools"

      And it seems that the latest reductions in stated transistor nm size aren't really leading to faster chips anyway, silicon doesn't want to go much beyond 5ghz. Rather than saving energy AMD and intel have been putting more energy through their chips to get slightly higher benchmark results and look at the trouble that has caused intel.

      I've seen claimed China

  • Evidence from Amazon purchases is that China has become the world leader in unopenably tough and tenacious clear package tape. What if the EUV situation compels them to, say, develop a more neuromorphic network that is much more economical of power than reduced precision gigantic dimension math? One name that I recently became aware of is Jason Eshraghian, now at UCSC.
  • "Yes we need 80 billion SIMD chips and high-speed interconnects for mobile phones and other non-AI applications."

    hahahahahahahahahahaha

  • Musk has said that Taiwan is really part of China and should be reunited.
    I expect the new Trump administration to drop support for Taiwan as a separate country.
    This does lead to some cognitive dissonance. How can Musk persuade Trump to drop tariffs on China (where he has lots of investments) while at the same time promoting "one China"?

  • Not a good strategy to piss off the Chinese like that. Instead the best move to prevent a Chinese invasion would be for everyone in Taiwan to act like there's a zombie plague happening there.

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