TSMC now does not dare to offend the United States and only helps Huawei manufacture 5G chips.
Some time ago, there were a lot of rumors about Huawei chips, such as Qualcomm being allowed to sell 5G chips, what is the return of 5G, etc., and TSMC obtained a foundry license for Huawei chips.
Regarding the news of the approval of Qualcomm's 5G chip, Yu Chengdong has already refuted the rumors. As for TSMC's acquisition of the foundry license, needless to say, it is also a rumor, because this is the same thing as Qualcomm's approval of 5G chips. As long as Huawei's own chips can be produced, it does not matter whether it is approved for 5G chip sales.
But some people say that TSMC can't secretly OEM?Maybe it's secretly producing OEM products behind the scenes, we just don't know it.
To be honest, I think this idea is really too naïve, too naïve, not afraid to tell the truth, TSMC really doesn't dare, not only TSMC, SMIC, Huahong, Samsung, etc., all the chip foundries in the world, they don't dare to do it secretly.
Because this matter cannot be sneaky, the chips produced by Huawei are all to be used, and once they are used on the device, they will be known immediately, so this cannot be sneaky.
And once this problem is known to the outside world, it means that the foundry will confront the United States, and the consequences will not be borne by any chip foundry company, at least at present.
Chip foundries need EDA software and hundreds of semiconductor devices and materials to make chips.
At present, the EDA market is monopolized by the United States, accounting for more than 90% of the market share, while the United States semiconductor equipment manufacturers control more than 40% of the market share, and the United States semiconductor materials manufacturers occupy more than 30% of the market share.
In addition, Japanese and Dutch manufacturers together account for more than 50% of the semiconductor equipment market and nearly 70% of the semiconductor materials market, while Japanese and Dutch manufacturers have to listen to the opinions of the United States.
Despite this, the United States has a near monopoly on the global market for EDA, semiconductor equipment, and semiconductor materials. As long as the United States does not authorize the delivery of EDA, semiconductor equipment and semiconductor materials to a certain wafer foundry, this wafer foundry will have to kneel, and TSMC is no exception, who dares to go against the will of the United States?
So, anything that has to do with secret production behind the scenes, no company would risk it for its own future.
If there is a company that dares to help Huawei OEM chips, there is only one reason, that is, the production line used by this company is all de-beautified, without any American equipment, technology, etc. At present, the de-beautified chip production line is estimated to only be able to produce flip chips above 40 nanometers.
But Huawei does not have 40 nanometer or more mature chips, Huawei does not have 14 nanometers or next-generation chips, so this is why China wants to build a completely self-produced chip industry chain, because a completely independent industrial chain cannot be restricted by the US ban, it is not afraid of the United States, the United States will help the foundry OEM, and the initiative is in its own hands.