It seems that the US Department of Commerce has ordered TSMC to stop the advanced semiconductors that were shipped to China from November 11, 2024.
🟦 U.S. Department of Commerce decision: TSMC ordered to suspend exports of advanced semiconductors to China
The U.S. Department of Commerce has instructed Taiwanese semiconductor manufacturer TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd.) to stop shipping advanced semiconductor products to China from November 11, 2024. This time, the target is semiconductors with high processing power, which play an important role in artificial intelligence (AI) technology. The semiconductors produced by TSMC have particularly high performance and have been used by major Chinese IT companies and AI-related companies.
TSMC has reportedly already notified Chinese customers affected by the order of the suspension of shipments. In addition, when this news was transmitted, there was also an economic impact, such as a decline in TSMC’s stock price.
🟦 Background and Reasons for Tightening U.S. Regulations
Behind the tightening of regulations by the United States is the concern that the evolution of AI technology may have a security impact, such as military use. The use of AI technology in military and surveillance systems poses a security risk for other countries, so the United States, in particular, is strengthening its stance of restricting the export of advanced technology to China.
The semiconductors produced by TSMC use very high technology, and the width of the circuit is as thin as 7 nm (nanometer) (nm is 1/1 billionth of a meter). These semiconductors below 7nm have high processing power and are often used in advanced fields such as AI and image processing, so the United States is cautious about freely supplying them to China.
🟦 Summary
Due to the decision of the US Department of Commerce, TSMC has stopped shipping AI semiconductors to China. This measure reflects the current situation of increasing international competition in the field of AI technology and advanced technology, and it is expected that the United States will continue to tighten regulations to prevent technology leakage.
As a Taiwanese company, TSMC is not inherently obligated to abide by U.S. decisions. However, the reason why TSMC has responded in line with US regulations is that the company is dependent on US technology and the market.
