China blacklists researchers that exposed Huawei chip secrets
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Huawei is preparing to sharply ramp up production of its most advanced AI chips over the next year.
PHOTO: BLOOMBERG
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NEW YORK – China has added prominent research firm TechInsights to its Unreliable Entity list, shutting out the Canadian teardown specialist that helped expose the inner workings of Huawei Technologies’ AI chips.
TechInsights will be barred from doing business with organisations or individuals in China, alongside a raft of other companies including some drone providers, according to a statement on Oct 9.
The Canadian company, best known for its detailed breakdowns that identify the parts and technology in electronic products, has been first to reveal a number of undisclosed suppliers and components in high-profile Chinese hardware.
In 2023, a Bloomberg investigation in partnership with TechInsights found Huawei had developed a made-in-China smartphone processor
And last week, the company was able to establish that key parts from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix were present in Huawei’s most advanced AI semiconductors.
The Chinese ministry did not give specific reasons for the inclusion of the analysis firm, whose Japanese, Korean and European entities, along with subsidiary Strategy Analytics, were all placed on the entity list.
London-based BAE Systems, one of the major names associated with Europe’s defence industry upgrades in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, is the most notable other company among the latest set of additions. BLOOMBERG
