According to EqualOcean, on May 7, 2024, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced the revocation of certain licenses for exports to Huawei, preventing suppliers like Intel and Qualcomm from selling chips for laptops and smartphones to the sanctioned Chinese telecommunications equipment manufacturer.
Intel stated that its sales would suffer as a result of this ban, with its second-quarter revenue expected to be lower than anticipated. Meanwhile, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the move, stating that the U.S. action represents an overextension of the concept of national security and is an unjustified suppression of Chinese companies through the abuse of export controls.
Information indicates that the reason for the revocation of the licenses is related to Huawei's release in April of this year of the MateBook X Pro, the first laptop supporting artificial intelligence, which is powered by Intel's latest Ultra 9 processor. This drew criticism from Republican lawmakers, who argued that it signaled the U.S. Department of Commerce's green light for Intel to sell the chip to Huawei, calling on the Biden administration to take more stringent action to block Huawei. The revocation of these licenses may restrict Huawei, which still relies on Intel chips, but there is also a risk of harm to U.S. companies doing business with Huawei. However, it should be noted that both Qualcomm and Intel have previously stated that their Huawei business is very limited, with Huawei not being among Qualcomm's top ten customers or appearing on Intel's list of major clients.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo insisted on May 8, after a congressional hearing, that Huawei is a threat and that the U.S. must take action. She also expects the implementation rules regarding U.S. restrictions on overseas investment in China to be completed by the end of this year, primarily related to the executive order issued by President Biden prohibiting or restricting U.S. investment in three areas: semiconductors and microelectronics, quantum information science, and certain artificial intelligence systems in China.
The U.S. has placed Huawei on a trade restriction list since 2019, citing concerns that the company may engage in espionage against Americans and pose a threat to U.S. national security. Being on this list means that the company's suppliers must obtain a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping goods. The new restrictions on Huawei are the latest measures taken by the United States to prevent China from acquiring the most advanced and sophisticated chip technology from the U.S.