The U.S. Department of Commerce is worried that Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC) can make chips in significant quantities using a 7nm class process technology. However, it doubts SMIC can produce enough chips to meet Huawei's demands. As a result, the DoC believes that its curbs against China's semiconductor sector in general and SMIC in particular are working as intended.
"Neither the performance nor yields may match the market of the device," said Thea Kendler, assistant secretary for export administration, during testimony before a House Foreign Affairs Committee oversight panel, reports Bloomberg. "Moreover, the semiconductor chip that is inside that phone is a poorer performance than what they had years ago. So our export controls are meaningful in slowing China's advanced technology acquisition."
