US to Ban Huawei Intermediary Sophgo Over AI Chip Supplies
The US government is set to add Sophgo to its Entity List for acting as an intermediary between Huawei and TSMC, circumventing US chip sanctions.
The U.S. government is set to add Sophgo, a Chinese tech company, to the Department of Commerce's Entity List for acting as an intermediary between blacklisted Huawei and TSMC, according to a report by Reuters. This action aims to curb Huawei's ability to procure advanced chips while effectively ending Sophgo's operations. Sophgo's Role and Sanctions Violation Since September 2020, Huawei has been restricted from purchasing chips made using American technologies. Sophgo is accused of violating U.S. export rules by placing orders with TSMC for Huawei-designed Virtuvian computing chiplets, components of Huawei's Ascend 910 processor. As a result, Sophgo will be unable to obtain advanced chips, impacting its ability to operate. Investigation and Bitmain Connection The issue was uncovered by research firm TechInsights during a teardown of Huawei's Ascend 910 processor. After confirming the match, TSMC halted shipments to Sophgo and alerted relevant authorities. Sophgo…