Huawei Technologies and its partner Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation relied on US technology to produce an advanced chip in China last year, according to people with knowledge of the matter, reports the South China Morning Post. Shanghai-based SMIC used gear from California-based Applied Materials and Lam Research to manufacture an advanced 7-nanometre chip for Huawei in 2023, the people said, asking not to be named as the details are not public.
The previously unreported information suggests that China still cannot entirely replace certain foreign components and equipment required for cutting-edge products like semiconductors. The country has made technological self-sufficiency a national priority and Huawei’s efforts to advance domestic chip design and manufacturing have received the backing of Beijing.
Representatives of SMIC, Huawei and Lam did not respond to requests for comment. Applied Materials and the US Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security, which is responsible for implementing export controls, declined to comment.