The United States on Friday further tightened export controls on Huawei’s access to American equipment and software, amid security concerns.
The US commerce department said that any foreign chipmakers producing chips from designs by Huawei and its affiliates with the use of American design tools or equipment will have to apply for a license from the department. It added that the license requirement will take effect in 120 days.
“Despite the Entity List actions the Department took last year, Huawei and its foreign affiliates have stepped-up efforts to undermine these national security-based restrictions through an indigenization effort. However, that effort is still dependent on US technologies”, said secretary of commerce Wilbur Ross.
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Last year, in May, the US government added Huawei to its trade blacklist, amid concerns that its 5G equipment enables the Chinese government to spy on other nations. Analysts say that restricted access to American semiconductor technology threatens to deal a blow to Huawei, from its smartphone and telecom equipment businesses to its arm HiSilicon Technologies, China’s top chip design house.
“This is not how a responsible global corporate citizen behaves. We must amend our rules exploited by Huawei and HiSilicon and prevent US technologies from enabling malign activities contrary to US national security and foreign policy interests”, Ross said.