American authorities are trying to prevent Huawei from becoming one of the leading technology companies. However, TechInsights has discovered that Huawei's artificial intelligence chips contain TSMC technologies that should have been unavailable after the export controls were implemented in September 2020. An investigation by TSMC revealed that the technologies may have been transferred through the Chinese company Sophgo, after which TSMC canceled all orders from it.
The U.S. Department of Commerce is examining these findings. Despite the restrictions, Huawei continues to grow, raising doubts about the effectiveness of the sanctions.
At the same time, TSMC is facing an energy crisis in Taiwan: since 2022, electricity prices have increased fourfold, raising operational costs and creating risks for the company's production capacities.
