TSMC, the largest independent semiconductor foundry and above all an official partner of Apple, is accused by the American courts of having sold chips to Huawei. A transgression of American law which could cost him dearly if the facts are proven.
Apple – TSMC – Huawei: a story in 3 stages
For several years now, the Chinese brand Huawei has been completely banned from the United States. It is prohibited from selling its products there, but also from being directly or indirectly linked to international companies that trade with American companies.
According to the US Department of Commerce (DOC), which is currently investigating, Huawei may have placed several orders for 5G and AI chips for smartphones from TSMC. Problem, TSMC is Apple’s official partner in this area.
If the investigation is confirmed, TSMC could then receive major sanctions from the American justice system. Sanctions which would automatically penalize Apple, which cannot under any circumstances do without TSMC for the production of chips. Huawei was obviously able to place orders via external companies, but TSMC knows that it has an obligation to carry out checks to ensure the real identity of the end user.
TSMC announces that it is 100% cooperative throughout the investigation. The Taiwanese company will also conduct its own internal investigation and will not hesitate to notify the DOC itself if errors in the control process are identified. To be continued.
